The Tucson Police Department made an arrest this morning of two serial burglars who struck several dozen businesses throughout the Tucson Metro area over the last 9 months.
The investigation began in January 2014 when an attempted burglary was discovered at the Bank of the West at 3175 North Swan Road. Detectives noticed the same method of operation for dozens of subsequent burglaries. The suspects in these burglaries targeted businesses in the early morning hours, concentrating mainly on restaurants, supermarkets, clothing stores, and business offices. The suspects made entry by cutting holes in the roofs and in multiple cases, entry was made through the walls of adjacent businesses to commit the burglaries. In each incident, the suspects cut open the safe and removed money.
Detectives were able to identify one of the suspects based on physical evidence left behind at a burglary committed in June 2014. He was identified as 38-year old Jeremy Lee Koons. Surveillance was set up on Mr. Koons and early this morning, police interrupted him and a second suspect, identified as 30-year old Robert Mendoza Hernandez, committing a burglary at the Family Dollar Store located at 1231 West St. Marys Road. The two were taken into custody without incident. This was a collaborative effort involving the Crime Lab, Burglary Unit, Surveillance Units, Force Units, K-9 Officers and patrol officers.
Detectives served a search warrant this morning at Mr. Koon’s home in the 4000 block of West Braemore Street. Another search warrant was served at Mr. Hernandez home in the 3900 block of South 13th Avenue.
Mr. Koons was booked into the Pima County Jail for the following charges:
-2 counts of Burglary
-1 count of Theft
-1 count of Possession of Burglary Tools
-1 count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise
Mr. Hernandez was booked into the Pima County Jail for the following charges:
-1 count of Burglary
-1 count of Theft
-1 count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise
Further charges are pending and detectives will be working with the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, the Marana Police Department, the University of Arizona Police Department and the Oro Valley Police Department to determine if these two were responsible for business burglaries committed in their jurisdictions.