North Modesto burglary arrest leads to more stolen property

Police on Monday arrested a man who officers say broke into a north Modesto home while a teenage boy was inside.

The victim was inside his home in the 4200 block of Peninsula Drive when a man he didn’t recognize knocked on his door at about 1:45 p.m., said Modesto Police Department spokewoman Heather Graves.

Since the victim didn’t know the man, he didn’t answer the door, but several minutes later he heard someone enter the home through a bedroom window. The victim ran to a neighbor’s home where he used the phone to call police.

As officers arrived in the area – the home is located a few blocks northwest of Prescott Road and Pelandale Avenue – dispatch received a call from an employee of the church adjacent to the victim’s residence. The employee said a man went inside the church asking for help, Graves said.

Officers met with the man, identified as 19-year-old Manuel Moreno.

Property belonging to the victim was found in Moreno’s possession and other items from the home were found on the church grounds.

On Tuesday, detectives searched the car in which Moreno drove to Peninsula Drive and found property belonging to at least three other victims. Detectives are working on returning the property recovered to the victims.

Moreno was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy.

This story was originally published July 14, 2015 at 6:29 PM with the headline "North Modesto burglary arrest leads to more stolen property."