PASADENA — Police arrested four men Saturday in Los Angeles on suspicion of posing as city workers to burglarize a house in Pasadena, authorities said.
George Peres, 33, of Texas, Frank Marks, 51, of Texas, Paul Mitchell, 44, of Arizona and Geno John, an Ohio man whose age was not available due to medical issues that delayed booking, were arrested Saturday by Los Angeles police officers in the LAPD’s Southwest Division, Pasadena police Lt. Jason Clawson said.
They’re accused of posing as Pasadena city workers when they went to a home in the 300 block of Castano Avenue about 3 p.m. May 2, the lieutenant said. At least one of the suspects wore a uniform as he approached a resident claimed to be a city representative wanting to talk about the construction of a new fence.
While the resident was distracted, accomplices ransacked the home and helped themselves to items, Clawson said. Police refer to the tactic as a “distraction burglary.”
While detained by LAPD officers during a traffic stop Saturday, “They discovered evidence inside the vehicle linking the subjects to the original crime,” Clawson said. Uniforms were also found in the car.
The three suspects who had been booked into jail — Peres, Marks and Mitchell — were being held in lieu of $50,000 bail each pending their initial court appearance, county booking records show.
Clawson reminded residents to take active steps to secure their homes, businesses and vehicles from opportunistic thieves looking for an easy target.
Side gates, windows and doggy doors should be locked when residents leave, he said, and any suspicious activity should be reported to police immediately.