Couple Accused of Breaking into Cars at County Parks to Steal Credit Cards
Photo: car searched
CASTRO VALLEY — The East Bay Regional Park District Police Department says multiple felony charges are pending against a couple. The pair arrested earlier this month is accused of breaking into cars at Contra Costa County parks to steal
credit cards.
Park police have been investigating vehicle burglaries at county parks for several weeks. A man and a woman were recorded by surveillance cameras casing vehicles and later using stolen credit cards at stores.
Numerous vehicle burglaries have occurred in Briones Regional Park in Lafayette and Contra Loma Park in Antioch. However, authorities suspect the couple is responsible for similar crimes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
John J. Fouhy, 39 and Rachel Whitlatch, 33, are the suspects. Authorities waited to question them on November 18, during a pre-scheduled appointment with a probation officer.
The couple showed up on time—driving a car recently reported stolen. A search of the vehicle turned up merchandise purchased with stolen credit cards.
Police also searched a Pleasant Hill hotel room being rented by the couple. This search also turned up merchandise purchased using stolen credit cards, and other stolen merchandise.
They allegedly made purchases at numerous stores located throughout the San Francisco Bay area. Merchandise with a retail value exceeding $3,000 was recovered as evidence.
In a prepared statement the park police said. “Our investigation indicates the couple has a long history of burglarizing vehicles to steal credit cards for making fraudulent purchases.
We suspect multiple other jurisdictions have been targeted by the couple and anticipate additional crimes coming to light.”
