Lompoc police announced Wednesday that the city has seen a spike in property crimes, and officers have arrested a 29-year-old man on charges of possession of stolen property connected with the thefts.
Police are still trying to find the owners of much of the property, according to a statement sent from the department Wednesday.
Adrian Cole Saggese of Lompoc was arrested on Monday after police said they discovered a large amount of stolen property in a room where he was staying.
Police said the city of Lompoc has experienced a spike in property crimes over the last several weeks, especially thefts from vehicles and residential burglaries.
“Many of the thefts seemed to be crimes of opportunity,” the statement said, adding that police have used investigative leads to identify suspects and have coordinated extra patrols.
On Monday before Saggese’s arrest, a patrol officer was sent to investigate the report of an individual trespassing in a vacant residence.
“When the officer arrived, the individual was not at the residence but the officer discovered a large amount of stolen property in the bedroom of the residence where the individual was staying,” the statement said.
Much of the property was connected to the recent rash of thefts, and Saggese was placed under arrest for possession of stolen property, police said.
At the time of his arrest, more stolen property was recovered, and Saggese was transported to the Lompoc City Jail and held on $100,000 bail. He was subsequently transported to the Santa Barbara County Jail.
Because a significant amount of stolen property was recovered during the investigation, detectives are still trying to identify the owners of the property and are encouraging recent victims of theft to contact Lompoc police Detective Scott Morgan at 805.875.8159.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
