Allegedly stolen iguana reunited with burglary victim

Deputies Thursday jailed a Downey man on suspicion of burglary and other crimes and reunited a Bellflower auto shop owner with his pet iguana, which was stolen late last year.
“Lizard” the iguana, which the auto shop owner had kept as a pet for more than 17 years, went missing following a break-in late Dec. 9 or early Dec. 10, 2011, at the auto shop 9800 block of Park Street, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials.
Other than the reptile, nothing else appeared to have been stolen from the shop, Lt. Steve Sciacca said in a written statement.
Evidence gathered at the scene of the burglary led detective to identify 19-year-old Jesus Alcaraz of Downey as a suspect in the burglary, Sciacca said. Gang investigators from the sheriff’s Lakewood Station recognized Alcaraz from previous encounters.
“Investigators served a search warrant on Alcaraz’s residence in Downey and recovered the victim’s pet iguana, a loaded handgun that was illegally possessed by Alcaraz, marijuana, hashish oil, and gang paraphernalia,” Sciacca said. The iguana was returned to its owner.
According to county booking records, Alcaraz was being held in lieu of $35,000 bail pending a scheduled arraignment Monday in Downey Superior Court.
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