UC Davis police officers arrest man suspected in series of recent campus burglaries
University of California, Davis police officers thwarted the theft of a cash box early Thursday when they arrested a man who also is suspected in a series of campus burglaries, officials said.
Bluehawk Gonzales was arrested on suspicion of burglary, possessing stolen property, violating probation and possessing burglary tools, according to a UC Davis news release.
At the time time of the arrest, detectives with the UC Davis Police Department had already identified Gonzales, 35, as a suspect in the series of campus burglaries. The detectives also had begun building a case with help from the Davis Police Department and the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.
UC Davis officials earlier this week warned students and staff that 15 burglaries had been reported from Oct. 29 through Nov. 8 in campus buildings. Police said that in some cases building doors had been left unlocked or propped open. In other burglaries, force was used to break or pry open exterior and interior doors.
Most of the burglaries were believed to have occurred overnight. The thefts included laptop computers and other electronics that were stolen, along with keys and paperwork. Police patrols and security checks were increased in response to the burglaries.
Around 3:30 a.m. Thursday, UC Davis police officers responded to an activated alarm at the UC Davis Medical Group clinic on West Covell Boulevard in Davis, according to the news release.
With help from the Davis police, officers surrounded the area and arrested Gonzales as he exited the building carrying the cash box, campus officials said.
Officers discovered Gonzales had items previously stolen in campus burglaries as they examined stolen property recovered during Thursday’s arrest, according to the news release.
Gonzales was booked at Yolo County Jail. Campus police and Davis police continued to investigate possible links to other recent burglaries throughout the city.
Investigators asked anyone with information about recent campus thefts to call UC Davis police at 530-754-2677.
