Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Burglary suspect caught in the act

Sheriff's deputies in Fallbrook were able to quickly nab a burglary suspect last week when the man whose business was being ransacked called authorities to report he had caught the alleged culprit on video in the middle of the act.

It happened early the morning of Oct. 20.

Dale Birmingham, owner of Supertek Computer Service on West College Street –

and, we must note, husband of a Reeder Media advertising executive – woke up

that morning at 5 a.m., as usual, he said.

But as he went about his morning, he got some entirely unusual notifications on his cell phone.

"I'm like, why is my phone vibrating?"

Birmingham told Village News of his reaction. "It started going crazy."

The reason was the security cameras Birmingham had set up in his office and connected to his phone through an app were picking up motion. And he was able to open his phone to watch the would-be burglar in real time.

"I see a guy in my office, he crawled through the window on the second floor," Birmingham said. "And how he did that, I have no idea."

Birmingham said the unknown man "helped himself" to more than $3,000 worth of computer parts, a laptop and other assorted items like cameras, screwdrivers and an expensive pair of earbuds.

But the burglar likely wasn't counting on the presence of the security cameras, or the speed with which sheriff's deputies would arrive at the scene.

"I called the dispatch about 5:38 in the morning after watching the videos," Birmingham said, "and (the dispatcher) kept me on the line and the cops were already there within two minutes. I saw them live on my camera doing their flashlights."

Birmingham said authorities told him they caught the burglar on his way out of the building. "They caught him coming down the stairs and about 20 minutes into him having fun," Birmingham said.

Fortunately, Birmingham was able to recover all of the lost property. "He had them all in his backpack," Birmingham said.

Burglars, unfortunately, can often go unapprehended.

"Generally, deputies get dispatched (to) a call after the fact and at that point it becomes a cold crime," Fallbrook Sheriff's Substation Lt. Arnold Aldana told Village News. "In the event it is an in progress, there is usually a time delay before it gets dispatched to a deputy and by then the suspect(s) are gone on arrival. At that

point, witnesses and video are our best chance when conducting the follow up."

But with Birmingham's real time camera footage involved, his case was made much easier.

"In this case, with real time technology, we were able to respond quick enough to apprehend the suspect, so it does happen, albeit, not too often," Aldana said. "It's

important for victims to call immediately in these types of cases."

Aldana confirmed the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Miguel Ramirez, was taken into custody shortly after Birmingham's call came in.

On average, Aldana said, the Fallbrook Sheriff's Substation receives about 10-15 burglary cases each month in Fallbrook, Bonsall, Rainbow and De Luz.

Birmingham is just happy to have gotten everything back, and that his security camera system, which he said cost him less than $300, has more than paid for itself. But he is still a little unsettled about how the burglar had even gotten inside in the first place.

Birmingham said the police told him the suspect slid through the slats on the building's gate and was able to climb up to a second-story window.

"No person could do it; you'd have to be like an acrobat," Birmingham said.

Will Fritz may be reached at [email protected].

 

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