On the morning of November 12, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a victim reporting a residential burglary outside of the city limits of Casa Grande. The victim reported an unknown suspect had stolen a cell phone, shotgun, computer, televisions and a remote control airplane from his residence.
Property Crime detectives were able to quickly develop a possible suspect lead and responded to the residence of Juan Manuel Barajas Cervantes, age 34, who resided in the 5700 block of North Cambric Lane in Casa Grande.
Detectives arrived at the residence and spoke with Juan, who was standing in the front yard. Detectives told him they were investigating a burglary of which Juan quickly denied having any knowledge.
Sheriff Paul Babeu said, “Juan had two cell phones in his pocket, and he seemed surprised as he handed the second cell phone that displayed the first and last name of the burglary victim on the screen. He claimed that he had no idea of how the cell phone got into his pocket. A Buick sedan was in the driveway and other stolen property was clearly visible in the back seat of the vehicle. In law enforcement, we call these things clues and these clues give us probable cause to arrest bad guys.”
Juan was taken into custody and later admitted to detectives he had committed the burglary. He was booked into the Pinal County Jail for Burglary in the 1st Degree, Trafficking in Stolen Property, Possession of a Stolen Property, Criminal Trespassing and Misconduct Involving a Weapon (he is a prohibited possessor because of past felony convictions).
A search warrant was obtained and served on his vehicle and residence. The remainder of the stolen property was recovered and returned to the victim.