Modesto police arrest four near Texas Roadhouse tied to over 100 vehicle burglaries
Modesto Police Department detectives arrested four people Monday night in connection with more than 100 vehicle burglaries over the past month.
The group was “caught in the act” in the parking lot of Texas Roadhouse restaurant on Sisk Road at about 8 p.m., said police spokeswoman Sharon Bear.
When the suspects spotted officers, they drove recklessly in a vehicle through the parking lot, but an officer blocked the exit and all four were taken into custody, she said.
Bear said the group was stealing mostly electronics and would activate the Bluetooth on their phone to scan for other Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Detectives connected the suspects to more than 100 vehicle burglaries from as far away as Los Angeles and Las Vegas and locally in Modesto, Turlock and the Bay Area, Bear said.
Thousands of dollars in stolen property was recovered Monday night from vehicle burglaries along the Sisk Road corridor, she said.
Bear said a police scanner was also found in the suspects’ vehicle, which they were using to gauge law enforcement presence in the area.
Arrested were 36-year-old Carmen Johnson of Oakland; 27-year-old Kevin Blocker of Stockton; 28-year-old Shawntanique Blocker of Oakland; and 27-year-old Latrell Moore of Stockton. They are facing charges including burglary, conspiracy and reckless evading and using a police scanner to avoid arrest.
“This is a real problem, and people just keep leaving stuff in their cars,” Bear said. “We are doing a lot of operations trying to catch these (thieves), but we need people to also try to protect the property they work hard for.”
Last week, detectives arrested three other vehicle burglary suspects, also at a business along the Sisk Road corridor. They recovered more than $10,000 worth of electronics that were taken from 18 vehicle burglaries in Modesto, Manteca and Fremont.
This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 4:23 PM.
