BELMONT, Calif. — Authorities have arrested three San Jose, California, men and are seeking at least one other suspected of breaking into Bay Area businesses to steal lottery scratch-off tickets.
Belmont police Capt. Patrick Halleran said his agency cracked the crime ring with help from the Burlingame, Menlo Park, Los Gatos-Monte Sereno, and San Jose police departments and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.
The suspects would break into closed businesses in the early morning hours and steal "large quantities" of tickets, Halleran said. They would then drive to open gas stations and convenience stores in San Jose and San Francisco to cash any winning tickets.
Halleran said three burglaries occurred in Belmont — two at a convenience store on the 400 block of Ralston Avenue on July 14 and Aug. 11 and one at a liquor store on the 2000 block of Ralston Avenue on July 23.
The arrested suspects were identified as 22-year-old Shawn Ray, 21-year-old Michael Walker and 22-year-old Alexander Castillo. Halleran said Castillo was also found in possession of handgun.
Investigators have obtained an arrest warrant for a fourth suspect, 21-year-old Jose Sotomayor, said Halleran, adding that other unnamed suspects are being sought by police.
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Congratulations to the Police forces, County Sheriffs, and the investigators.
I guess that the CA Lottery needs to find more secure ways when making and distributing the Scratch-offs.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Seems like the whole rolls had been activated, otherwise they're no good right?
Next time, though a rarity I see them stocking the lottery machine with scratchers will ask how they are activated. Just remember them putting the tickets in the proper slots and no scanning. Seen them doing the big old rolls years ago right @ the register.
The only safeguard that comes to mind is after they are stolen they will somehow deactivate the whole roll making them all null and void. That is here, don't know about California.
The cops out here, especially in the EastBay don’t play games. A couple of years ago, these guys robbed a bank in Fremont & figured out that they were home free once they got onto highway 880- big mistake. There was at least 6 cop cars on the freeway within minutes, They radioed ahead to the CHP in Union City who got in on the chase- these guys ended up crashing their car on Tennyson Ave & all were rounded up. One guy was found in a manhole with the cover over him. All the cash was retrieved. I am not in the least surprised that these guys & what appears to be a gal got nailed.
This S*** don’t happen in Fremont, the word is out.
You should be a writer, noise-gate. Visualized the play by play action very vividly...especially the manhole cover!
l don’t forget stuff like this.
From their names, it seems that they are all men. No gal involved.
There are a finite number of escape routes when you rob a bank. The cops know all of them. So, when a bank robbery occurs, they go to predetermined places (usually freeway on ramps) and wait for the robbers to drive by.
I will give you half a salute on that one MM. However Michael could pass as a female, no sign of an Adam’s apple from the photo... and wait for it: A person named Michael Learned is an actress.
* Have a good W.E.
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Hello all.
First of all, wasn't the one "Sotomayor" fellow, sharing the same name as one of the Supreme Court Justices some years back?
Anyway, these 4 all look like "clean cut" mugs. With absolutely no offense intended for the rest of the clean cut population. I mean, like my late Dad used to say, when he'd see a biker club member on TV, and so on,
"Now, where does HE work?", which would send us laughing so hard, we'd be
just about ready for the Emergency Room (I guess you had to be there.).
Anyway, that's also why the folks would always be surprised when they'd see some figure on TV who would totally shock them with their criminal behavior, but clean cut looks.
Anyway, good luck to the rest of us on this week's remaining lotto games.
Mr. Groppo
Sotomayor currently sits on the Supreme Court G.
I just read the article but saw the pics first. Thought one of them was female. Guess not.
Or the cops could just wait for them to post about on Facebook.