Photo: Bland “under cover”
BRENTWOOD — A man and woman wearing matching “bracelets” were escorted from a jewelry store—courtesy of Brentwood PD. They were handcuffed and arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary.
First, a window was broken late at night on May 15 at K & Co. Family Jewelers, located at 741 Second Street. The incident was recorded by a video surveillance camera, but the would-be burglars left without taking anything.
The suspects returned to the scene a few hours later, and police were dispatched to investigate a report of a suspicious person. Officers were en route when a burglar alarm was tripped.
Upon arrival at the scene, an officer saw a woman getting into the driver’s seat of a nearby parked car. Waiting inside, a man was sitting in the passenger seat.
Both suspects were detained, while officers waited for additional back-up units to arrive. Soon afterward, another officer recognized one of the suspects, as the same man recorded by a security camera.
Their vehicle was searched, and officers located and recovered burglary tools.
Additional evidence found included a backpack that the male suspect was wearing in the video recorded a few hours earlier.
The suspects Charlie Bland, 57, and Barbara Rivera, 30, both Antioch residents, were arrested at 1:40 a.m. on May 16. They were booked for attempted burglary, conspiracy to commit a crime, and possession of burglary tools.
Bland is familiar to authorities in Contra Costa County. In fact, he was also arrested by Antioch PD on suspicion of burglary on May 13. In addition, Bland has numerous prior arrests for illicit drug possession, vehicle theft and other offenses.
