House burglarized, rare classic sports car stolen in Covina

COVINA -- Police arrested a man Sunday after he allegedly broke into a Covina home, authorities said.
The owner of the allegedly burglarized home also discovered a valuable classic sports car missing when he arrived to inspect his home, police added, though it was not clear if the burglary and car theft were related.
Eugene Portillo, 42, of Baldwin Park, was booked on suspicion of burglary, Covina police Sgt. Trevor Gaumer said.
A tipster called police about 8:30 a.m. to report a suspicious person with a "pry bar" going into a neighbor's backyard in the 400 block of West Adams Park Drive, the sergeant said.
When police arrived, they found Portillo still in the yard and arrested him without further incident, Gaumer said. He still had the pry bar with him, and he had allegedly forced open a rear door of the home.
According to sheriff's booking records, Portillo was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail and was due in West Covina Superior Court Wednesday for arraignment.
When the homeowner, who had not been at the house for about a week, arrived to talk to police, he discovered his highly rare and valuable classic sports car had also been stolen sometime in the previous week, Lt. Tim Doonan said.
The 1969 Ford Mustang Shelby GT was not restored, but was still estimated to be worth more than $50,000, the lieutenant said.
Police were looking into whether Portillo may be connected to the auto theft as well, he added.