The Tucson Police Department, along with residents of the Midvale Neighborhood, noticed a recent increase in burglaries within that community. Officers worked proactively with members of the community and the Tucson Police Department’s Burglary Unit to locate and identify the individuals responsible for the recent increase in the neighborhood burglaries.
On August 26, 2015, at approximately 3:40 p.m., officers from Operations Division South received a tip that the suspects were in a vacant house in the 2000 block of W. Burgandy Drive. Multiple officers arrived on scene and detained three adults without incident. The three adults were identified as 22-year-old Gabriel Ramirez, 19-year-old Jorge Vega, and 18-year-old Leslie Soto.
Detectives responded to the scene to continue the investigation. Upon service of several search warrants, they were able to determine Mr. Ramirez, Mr. Vega, and Ms. Soto were involved in the burglaries of multiple homes in the area. They used the stolen goods for their personal use, traded the items for illegal drugs, and pawned the items for their monetary value at pawnshops throughout the city of Tucson.
Mr. Ramirez was booked into the Pima County Jail on five counts of 2nd Degree Burglary and three counts of Trafficking in Stolen Property. Mr. Vega and Ms. Soto were booked into the Pima County Jail on one count of 2nd Degree Burglary. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending. The TPD Burglary Unit is working diligently to recover as much property as possible so that items can be returned to the rightful owners. Anyone with information is urged to call 88-CRIME.
This is a great example of citizens working together with police to make our neighborhoods a safer place to live.