Simi pair linked to area car burglaries
By Saria Kraft
kraftomat@aol.com

According to the latest crime data Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks still top the list as the safest cities in America. But although law enforcement has put a lid on violent crime, property crimes continue to threaten residents.

In Thousand Oaks, the smash and grab tactics of thieves who prey on vehicles were stopped last week when patrol officers observed suspicious behavior inside a car parked on Greenmeadow Avenue.

Early in the evening on March 23, police found Simi Valley residents Eric Bartholomew, 19, and Francisco Garde, 30, in possession of a stolen purse, said Thousand Oaks Police Det. Greg Tougas. A search of their car yielded burglary tools, devices for counterfeit documents and the driver’s licenses and Social Security cards of several victims.

Both men have prior convictions for related misdemeanors and felonies, Tougas said.

Bartholomew and Garde were booked into the Ventura Jail on charges of identity theft and possession of stolen property. Bail was set at $65,000 and $50,000, respectively.

The men have been known to operate both in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, Tougas said, and according to Simi Valley Police Det. Joseph Brimberry, they are currently under investigation for similar crimes in Simi Valley.

In the Conejo Valley last month, vehicular burglaries were reported on Agoura Road, Conejo Canyon Court, La Tienda, Roadside Drive, Tiburon Court, West Olsen Road, Whitecliff Road and several on Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Simi Valley reported car break-ins on Carumont, Bardet Place and Christine Avenue. In Moorpark, thieves hit cars and commercial vehicles on High Street, Hitch Boulevard and several on East Los Angeles Avenue.