Oct 25, 2007 5:11 pm US/Central
Euless Police Arrest 3 Burglary Ring Suspects
EULESS (CBS 11 News) ―
Several North Texas police departments believe that they have broken up a major burglary ring. The thieves have been striking homes and apartments during the day, while residents were gone.
More than 130 homes were victimized, including 40 apartments at the Seramont community in Euless. The thieves got away with thousands of dollars in merchandise.
However, police in Euless, with the help of agencies in Plano, Lewisville, Irving and Dallas, nabbed three Puerto Rican suspects in the case on Wednesday.
First, police arrested 26-year-old Harry Rivera Perez and 33-year-old Johnny Perez Medina at an apartment complex in Plano. Then, police arrested 36-year-old Caria Osoria at the Homeplace Suites Hotel in Irving. Authorities also found a cache of jewelry, electronics and money that had been stolen in recent burglaries.
According to officials with the Euless Police Department, the suspects had been flying from Puerto Rico, through Fort Lauderdale, and into Dallas. Here, they purchased a rental car and lived in hotels while burglarizing dozens of homes before flying back.
At first, police thought that the thieves were using 'bump keys' on the locks. Further investigation revealed that the locks were simply being picked by the thieves. "They were actually just picking the locks," said Lt. Wayne Pavlik of the Euless Police Department. "What they would do is go up and knock on the door residence. And then, if someone wasn't home, then they would make entry into the residence."
Residents in Euless are breathing a sigh of relief. "It's great," said apartment resident Reina Walker. "We're so excited. We're telling all the residents that it's all been taken care of."
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