Suspect caught on video arrested in Modesto restaurant burglary

A Modesto man remained jailed Thursday after being arrested earlier in the week on suspicion of burglarizing a restaurant on Oakdale Road.

On Tuesday about 7:50 a.m., dispatchers received a report of a burglary in progress at La Parrilla restaurant at 950 Oakdale Road. “The security company called in and said the business sees somebody on video” in the restaurant, said Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Heather Graves.

Officers arrived to find a man outside the rear of the business, which is in a shopping center on the east side of Oakdale Road just north of Scenic Drive. Someone with the restaurant arrived, showed the video, and officers determined the suspect was the same person caught on camera, Graves said.

No stolen property was found on the suspect, 40-year-old Jayson Walker, but a computer monitor taken from the restaurant was found hidden in a garbage bin, Graves said.

Apparently, Walker gained entry to the building through a vent on the roof, police said.

Police officers typically do not respond to unverified burglary alarm reports, Graves said. “Someone has to see a door kicked in or hear sounds inside,” she said.

Having a security system with live, remote video monitoring can make a big difference, she said. “A burglary in process is a high-priority call. There are a lot of people – businesses and residences – that have these nice security systems,” Graves said. “A month or two ago, there was a residential burglary and he called it in and was able to give a description.”

The homeowner could see his home being broken into via a remote video feed. The suspect fled before officers arrived, but the owner still was watching and could see officers searching the house for the burglar.

“If people call 911 super-quickly, we can get there and sometimes catch these guys” still on site, Graves said.

Walker is being held on $100,000 bail and faces charges of burglary, violation of probation, and possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 9:14 AM with the headline "Suspect caught on video arrested in Modesto restaurant burglary."