Burglary Suspect Identified, Not Apprehended

According to Lt. Josh Thai of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriffs Station, e-mails that were recently circulated saying that a suspect in recent burglaries was caught, is not accurate.

“The suspect that committed burglaries in the Topanga area several months ago,” says Thai, “is NOT in custody.”

However, the suspect was identified and Los Angeles Sherriffs Dept (LASD) Detective Paladino has filed burglary charges with the District Attorney’s office and there is a warrant for his arrest. This is the suspect that deputies pursued a couple months ago. Later, detectives found the car abandoned with the stolen property, which was recovered by Lost Hills Detectives and returned to the respective victims in Topanga. The suspect is still outstanding.

When the detectives recovered the stolen items, it was determined that this suspect had committed the majority of the burglaries in Topanga. It is safe to predict, Thai adds, that during those months where there was a rash of burglaries, it is more than likely that they were committed by the same person, not by multiple groups or suspects. Therefore, multiple burglaries counts/charges have been filed against this suspect.

Stacy Sledge of the Topanga Town Council reminds Topanga residents that a representative from the Lost Hills Sheriffs station attends their monthly meetings on the second Thursday of the month at the Topanga Library Meeting Room, 7 p.m. (topangatowncouncil.org).

The Town Council also publishes a monthly LASD crime report on its website in the News About Town section at www.onetopanga.com.