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Crime & Safety

Police Arrest 3 in Burglaries, Find Lots of Loot

After nabbing three men for allegedly burglarizing vehicles, Crescenta Valley Sheriff's deputies are now looking for the loot's rightful owners.

Three men hiding in an irregularly parked vehicle on Ocean View Boulevard yielded a bounty of stolen goods from a spate of recent vehicle burglaries, authorities said.

On Dec. 2, while responding to a suspicious person in a vehicle call along Ocean View Boulevard, deputies from the received a car burglary call in the 2200 block of Cross Street.

The victim told deputies that he had hard his car alarm going off and when he went to check on his locked car, found the passenger side window smashed and center console opened. He was unsure if anything had been stolen from the vehicle.

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Separately, a deputy at the same time reported observing a car parked in a driveway in the 4900 block of Ocean View Boulevard with its driver side window smashed. The victim at that location also reported hearing his car alarm but did not know if anything had been taken from inside his car.

Deputies noticed a vehicle parked irregularly, about one foot from the curb in a no parking zone on Ocean View Boulevard. However, due to dark tinting of the car’s windows, could not see if anyone was inside.

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Upon approaching the car, deputies were able to observe a man crouching inside the car. They removed three men from the car and observed an unusual and varied amount of items on the car’s back seat and floor.

Det. Rodger Burt told the La Cañada Valley Sun that Burt said that he was able to link the men to two burglaries and five thefts through property recovered from their vehicle, but he thinks there are victims who have yet to realize they are missing property.

After determining that two of the men -- Hector Junior Lopez, a 23-year-old Glendale resident and Richard Rudy Liendo, 24, of Sun Valley -- were on parole, deputies searched the car and recovered a piece of window frame that was later confirmed to belong to one of the cars reportedly burglarized that night. The three suspects reportedly refused to answer deputies’ questions, were read their rights and transported to the Crescenta Valley Station. The suspects’ vehicle was booked into evidence.

The incident report listed 40 items recovered from the suspects’ car and booked into evidence, including cell phones, iPods, GPS devices, cameras, sunglasses, currency and a watch. Tool sets, flashlights and screwdrivers were also recovered, as well as marijuana.

An additional victim later contacted deputies regarding items stolen from her vehicle. These items reportedly matched items found in the suspects’ vehicle.

Lopez and Liendo were booked on suspicion of burglary, possession of burglary tools, and parole violations. A third suspect, Arnoldo Pena Lopez, a 25-year-old resident of Sun Valley, was booked on suspicion of burglary and possession of burglary tools.

Residents of Ocean View above Foothill Boulevard who believe someone may have broken into their car, or are missing property from a vehicle, should call Burt at (818) 236-4014, he told the Valley Sun.

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