A 21-year-old transient has been arrested in a string of burglaries of commercial properties in Goleta and the unincorporated area of the county, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Dylan Heintze, 21, was arrested April 23 on Walnut Lane in the vicinity of where several of the burglaries had occurred, Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said.
Heintze is known to local law enforcement and had recently returned to the area, and had recently been released after serving his sentence, completing his probation just hours before committing burglaries on April 4, Hoover said.
He was convicted in May 2011 for a residential burglary and for a burglary at San Marcos High School and also has a burglary conviction in Los Angeles County, Hoover said.
The department’s investigation started on April 4, around 4 a.m., when deputies responded to an alarm at the Valero Gas Station, 5561 Calle Real in Goleta.
Deputies discovered evidence of attempted burglary at the scene, and an hour later, an alarm was activated at Magnolia Liquors, 5100 Hollister Ave. in unincorporated Santa Barbara County.
“When sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found the front glass door shattered and cash taken,” Hoover said. “Video surveillance from both businesses indicated the same person was responsible for both crimes.”
On April 9, around midnight, deputies responded to an alarm at Sneaker Time, 5140 Hollister Ave., where they discovered the front glass door had been shattered and cash taken.
Heintze was arrested April 18, around midnight, for prowling at the rear of Sneaker Time, but “there was not enough evidence to arrest Heintze for the other offenses,” Hoover said.
On April 23, a string of burglaries occurred in the early morning hours in Goleta, including at the Kentucky Fried Chicken at 5697 Calle Real, the India Club at 5701 Calle Real and the
Fairview Car Wash at 42 N. Fairview Ave.
Deputies searched the Tatum Property located behind the Turnpike Shopping Center, where Heintze is known to frequent, but he was not located.
“He was however found nearby walking on Walnut Lane and was wearing the same clothing seen on surveillance video from the burglaries that morning,” Hoover said, adding that sheriff’s deputies also located evidence tying him to the initial burglaries.
Heintze is charged with five felony violations of burglary and remains the suspect in several additional ongoing investigations, she said.
— 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.