HOLLISTER
Hollister police Friday arrested a 40-year-old Hollister man suspected of burglarizing a sports apparel store early Christmas morning and a vehicle two weeks earlier.
Police arrested the man near his Chestnut Lane home after Officer Rosemary Pacheco obtained a search warrant and found four jerseys and assorted hairstyling tools at the residence, according to a statement from police. When police found the suspect nearby, he had been trying to conceal a plastic bin full of more stolen property believed to be taken from The Locker Room, 441 San Benito Street.
Alfred Santos, owner of the recently opened business, reported about 20 jerseys, assorted handbags and purses, two laptops and $300 among the stolen items.
“The police showed up at my door Christmas morning and told me I had been robbed,” said Santos. “Then, later, they just kept calling me, asking what exactly was taken and other questions.”
Hollister police called back the next day, according to Santos, and they “told me I could come and pick up all my stuff, except the two laptops, which were the only things they didn’t find.”
Santos praised the Hollister Police Department, noting that he didn’t know how they found a specific suspect.
“They worked really hard on it, especially since it was Christmas.”
A search of the suspect’s car also produced power tools that had been reported stolen from a vehicle on Industrial Drive two weeks ago.
The man was booked at the San Benito County Jail with recommended charges including possession of stolen property, possession of cocaine and possession of methamphetamine. The district attorney’s office had yet to decide on potential charges as of press time.
Anyone with information should call Pacheco at 636-4330.
