RIPON -- When Francisco and Sandra Moreno moved out of their upscale, foreclosed home west of Jack Tone Golf Course in February, authorities said they took everything.
And they meant everything.
The couple took cabinet doors, toilets, ceiling fans, two water heaters, built-in kitchen appliances, iron gates and three air-conditioning units, according to court documents filed in San Joaquin County Superior Court.
The list doesn't stop there.
Court documents claim the Morenos took attic heating units, doorknobs and locks, a bathtub-jacuzzi, bathroom sink faucet hardware, glass shower doors, a garage wash basin, electric circuit breaker panel and its circuit breakers, and several other items.
Ripon police detectives last Tuesday arrested the Morenos on suspicion of felony grand theft. They are accused of stripping fixtures worth nearly $100,000.
"We've had similar cases before, but these are the most extensive thefts we've seen so far," said Sgt. Steve Merchant.
House stripping is not uncommon in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, which has suffered from one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country since 2007. More than 52,000 homes have been foreclosed upon in that time.
San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Stephen Taylor said real estate officials report more than half of foreclosed homes in that county are stripped. He is prosecuting the Morenos along with another Ripon couple accused of the same crime in separate cases.
Stanislaus County does not have similar cases in court, although some real estate officials say house stripping is not uncommon.
"If they are proven guilty, then they're just common thieves," Taylor said of suspected house strippers. "You can't take these things from mortgaged houses."
The Morenos posted $90,000 bail each and have been released from jail. They have not entered pleas. The Bee's attempts to reach them were not successful.
The Morenos' foreclosed home was built in 2005, and the couple bought the 3,600- square-foot, four-bedroom house shortly afterward for $940,000, according to the court documents.
The Morenos' home loan defaulted in May 2009 and was sold at a trustee sale about a year later. Taylor said the Morenos stripped the house in clear view of their neighbors.
He is still amazed by the items that were taken.
"There is just something sad about seeing an empty space where a bathtub used to be, especially when it (doubled as) a jacuzzi." Taylor said. "They took the (custom-made iron) gates that lead into the house."
The investigation into the Morenos continues, Taylor said, and authorities expect to arrest those who helped unbolt, carry away or store the items, which have not been returned.
"We know the Morenos had a lot of help, and we're looking for those people, too," Taylor said. "People told about house-stripping plans should call the police and not join in."
The reasons people strip houses often are based on emotion.
Craig Lewis of Prudential California Realty in Modesto suggested that some residents may be angry and want to take out that anger on the lender foreclosing on the home. He said the owners may have invested in home improvements and feel they're owed something in return.
"I do not understand what compels people to do this," Lewis said. "It's really a selfish act."
He said the thefts affect the home's value, which sometimes attracts buyers looking for a bargain, while other buyers are deterred by so many missing items and damage.
In his experience, fewer homeowners are stripping foreclosed houses, possibly reflecting the work they've put into keeping them.
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