Sentencing Scheduled For Serial Burglar
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) – A Jefferson County judge will sentence a burglar Monday convicted of stealing from two dozen businesses after GPS technology and an ankle monitor helped investigators find their suspect.
"We had a total of 24 burglaries that had occurred in about a two month period earlier this year," Steve Davis of the Lakewood Police Department said to CBS4 back in April.
Each count of a burglary charge can carry a sentence of three to six years, potentially putting Arthur Lopez, 24, behind bars for more than 100 years. Restaurants, liquor stores, and laundromats were some of the businesses Lopez targeted around Lakewood.
There was evidence of a forced entry in many of those cases, some locations had surveillance video as well. Both were part of the key evidence that helped detectives identify their suspect.
"He noticed in some of the surveillance video that the burglar had goggles," Davis explained of one of the detectives. "But he could see eye glasses under the goggles."
Police also did a search of suspects with lengthy criminal histories and came across the name of Lopez. They arrested him and Lopez admitted to the burglaries.
His ankle monitor showed him in the area at the time of each burglary so investigators could tie him back to all of the crimes in this case. Davis previously said that detectives believed he did not act alone and was likely part of a larger ring going beyond Lakewood.
Sentencing for Lopez is scheduled at 1 p.m. on Monday at the Jefferson County Courthouse.
Shawn Chitnis reports for CBS4 News at 10 on weekends and CBS4 News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. throughout the week. Email him story ideas at smchitnis@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter or Facebook.
