Information sought on burglaries of 2 Thoreau houses

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Sheriff's investigators are seeking information concerning a pair of burglaries that occurred in the Thoreau area during the Christmas holiday.

About $18,000 worth of personal belongings were taken from the two homes on Dec. 17 and Dec. 20.

Investigator D. Gonzales said the string of burglaries could continue if the individuals are not arrested soon.

On Dec. 20, an unknown individual pried open a window located on the west side of a home located on Rose Street. A preliminary inventory of the home conducted by its owner, revealed that five guns, $400 in change, four leather jackets, $9,500 worth of jewelry, knives and a DVD player were stolen from the location.

Investigators discovered footprints in the west side of the home's yard and determined the suspect took the stolen goods out of the front door and lifted them over a fence to another suspect who placed the goods into a vehicle.

The screwdriver that was used to pry open the window was also located and booked into evidence.

Gonzales encouraged anyone who saw a car parked in front of the residence on the night of Dec. 20 to notify investigators.

"It wasn't like the car was parked there for 5 minutes," she said. "It had to have been there while people where walking back and forth and loading stuff into the car."

The homeowner had been out of town during a four-day period when the break-in occurred.

In a separate incident on Dec. 17, unknown individuals entered a Navarre Street home while the owners were at a nearby casino.

A television and multiple rifles were included in the list of items that were taken from the house.

The homeowner reported on Dec. 19 that the individuals reportedly returned at about 11 p.m. while she was asleep. Gonzales said the woman heard the doorbell ring and someone remove a screen from a window located on the northside of the residence.

She reportedly yelled at the individuals who immediately fled the scene.

Investigators suspect the individuals knew the homeowners' schedules before they attempted to break into the homes.

"It's certain they'd been casing the area," Gonzales said.

Gonzales also said that, based on evidence found at the two scenes, there are most likely at least three individuals involved in the burglaries.

"We would appreciate any kind of information we could get," she said.

Persons with information regarding the burglaries, may call Crime Stoppers at 722-6161