BY LINDA BENTLEY | OCTOBER 19, 2011
MCSO nabs Cave Creek residential serial burglar
CAVE CREEK – Last week, Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Cave Creek resident Salvador Hugo Fonseca, 21, for a rash of residential burglaries that had been plaguing the town during the past few weeks and for trafficking in stolen property.
After being placed on probation for three years for a 2008 theft charge and a 2009 drug paraphernalia charge, Fonseca had his probation revoked in August 2010 and was sentenced to nine months in the Arizona Department of Corrections for violating the conditions of his probation.
Fonseca, who was released from prison in October 2010 and released from probation in March 2011, matched the descriptions from witnesses from different sightings and was later picked out of a photo lineup.
After he was arrested and brought into the District 4 Command Center for questioning, Fonseca first spent several hours denying the reports, despite articles of his clothing being found at the scene.
Fonseca later admitted entering multiple residences through an open window, taking money, food and other valuables that he could carry, as he lived in the area and had no vehicle.
He also admitted to selling items he stole. The recovery of some property that same evening further confirmed Fonseca’s accounts of the burglaries in his confessions.
While Fonseca admitted to approximately a half-dozen local burglaries, MCSO Detective Steve Horath said it appears Fonseca could be tied to double that number of pending cases that utilized a similar modus operandi.
Horath applauded MCSO deputies for their well-coordinated police work that ultimately led to the arrest of Fonseca.
Deputy Commander Lt. Rich Burden warned citizens to close and lock their windows when leaving the house.
He said, at only 5 feet 4 inches tall and 130 pounds, Fonseca’s small stature allowed him to slip through the smallest of bathroom windows left open for ventilation.
Fonseca is currently being held at the Lower Buckeye Jail with bond set at $3,600.
