Two Gilroy residents were arrested in Morgan Hill Sunday whom
police believe may be responsible for an epidemic of auto
burglaries in the city since the beginning of the year.
Morgan Hill – Two Gilroy residents were arrested in Morgan Hill Sunday whom police believe may be responsible for an epidemic of auto burglaries in the city since the beginning of the year.
Arthur Quinones, 37, and Elizabeth Teixeira, 25, were booked into Santa Clara County Jail on charges of alleged auto burglary, commercial burglary, possession of burglary tools, possession of stolen property, suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of methamphetamine.
According to Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing, auto burglaries were reported Sunday morning at St. Catherine Church and Morgan Hill City Hall on Peak Avenue and Church on the Rock at East Dunne Avenue and Walnut Grove Drive. A witness reported seeing a car leave the area and gave a description of the car to police.
Later, at approximately 10:45am, Morgan Hill police officers James Hankins and Curtis Berlin were traveling north on Condit Road going to an alarm call, when they saw a car matching the description of the car allegedly involved in the auto burglaries going in the opposite direction.
Swing said the Gilroy pair allegedly tried to “lose” Berlin and Hankins by pulling into the mushroom farm at Diana Avenue and Condit road, but the officers followed them there and arrested them at the scene on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance.
When officers searched the car, they found a number of wallets, purses and cell phones, Swing said, as well as numerous spark plug “chips,” the porcelain portion of the plugs that are used to break car windows.
“There have been over 100 window smash auto burglaries since the first of the year, and we believe these suspects are responsible for the majority of them,” Swing said. “We have two separate crimes, auto burglary and fraudulent use of a credit card. We’re looking to prosecute that to the fullest extent.”
When Hankins and Berlin searched the vehicle Quinones and Teixeira were in, they also found a number of Target shopping bags on the back seat. In Teixeira’s purse were 76 gift cards from a number of different stores, Swing said. Police believe she purchased the items from Target with a stolen credit card.
“We think she tried to pay for the items with a credit card that is denied, then she comes back to steal the items by leaving without paying for them, and then ends up paying for them with a stolen credit card from a recent auto burglary,” he said.
The stores that the pair have been frequenting – WalMart, Target and Safeway in both Morgan Hill and Gilroy – have sophisticated video systems, Swing said, and MHPD detectives will be looking back to see if other cases can be linked to the suspects.
“They will most likely be facing further charges,” he added.
Although the Gilroy pair is believed to be responsible for most of the auto burglaries which have taken place at the Community and Cultural Center, the Centennial Recreation Center, the soccer complex, the Aquatic Center and other locations, Swing said police advise residents to still be diligent about locking their vehicles and removing valuables from their vehicles.
“The habits that hopefully people created recently, bringing in their belongings from their vehicles, should be continued,” he said. “Just because these two have been caught doesn’t mean there aren’t 10 others that can take their place. People need to continue to be responsible with their valuables.”
