Felipe Chavez (L) and Angel Guzman (R)
SANTA CRUZ — Two burglary suspects are behind bars thanks to a mobile app used to help people locate their misplaced devices.
Santa Cruz police arrested 46-year-old Felipe Chavez of San Jose and 19-year-old Angel Guzman of Watsonville on charges of receiving and possessing stolen property and conspiracy to commit a crime.
On the afternoon of Friday, January 16, Santa Cruz Police received a call from the victim of a residential burglary who said he believed he’d traced his stolen iPad to the corner of Mission Street and Walnut Avenue in Santa Cruz.
A Santa Cruz police officer met with the victim to confirm the location of the app’s signal — the 76 gas station on Mission Street. The officer then instructed the victim to turn on the alarm once he was in the gas station.
Once inside the gas station, the officer began talking with the station manager and an employee. The iPad’s alarm soon went off, and both the manager and employee pretended not to hear it — suspicious not only in principle but because the alarm was coming from a bag on the counter next to Chavez.
At first Chavez claimed he found the bag outside in front of the station in the bushes. Officers continued to investigate and found more stolen property inside Chavez’s truck. They also searched the vehicle of Guzman and found additional stolen items in his car.
Search warrants were issued for Chavez’ home on Flinthaven Drive in San Jose and discovered more property, including 19 mid- to high-end bicycles, jewelry, and electronics. Detectives believe that the items were likely traded for goods or resold at the station. They also may have off-loaded some of them to flea markets in the Bay Area.
Both Chavez and Guzman have been implicated in the ongoing distribution of stolen property, most of which is believed to have come from home and vehicle break-ins throughout the Santa Cruz and San Jose areas. It is also believed that the two suspects are part of a large theft and stolen property operation.
