String of burglaries sour start of 2012

For a pair of homeowners, the New Year is something they may already want to forget after they returned home Sunday to discover the inside had been ransacked and their valuables stolen.

The residents were out of town for the holiday weekend and returned about 3 p.m. to their house in the 800 block of East Glenoaks Boulevard to discover the rear door of the house had been kicked in, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Their home had been ransacked and valuable jewelry was missing, he said.

Just next door, their neighbor’s home was also burglarized.

Thieves entered that home through a rear window and ransacked the inside of the house, Lorenz said. The homeowners were staying at a local hotel because their house was undergoing renovations, he added.

They didn’t know whether any valuables were stolen, Lorenz said.

Police said the burglaries likely occurred sometime during the weekend.

No arrests have been made in connection with the burglaries.

From Friday to Tuesday, 12 burglaries were reported throughout the city, according to a police crime reporting database.

Five burglaries occurred in South Glendale, while another four were reported in the northwest portion of the city and three others in the northeast.

Police also arrested a man, Christopher Martinez, on Sunday on Bagdad Place and Sparr Boulevard on suspicion of burglary and trespassing after witnesses allegedly saw him holding a tool in one hand while entering a Chevrolet Suburban, Lorenz said.

He fled the scene, but he was seen 30 minutes later allegedly entering a home on the 3100 block of Sparr Boulevard, Lorenz added.

Police arrested him, but Lorenz said they have some concerns about him due to his statements about seeing people and animals upon entering the SUV and home.

Martinez will receive medical attention, Lorenz added.