On August 18, at 10 a.m., a mother and her baby reported a man trying to break into her home in the 3800 block of W. White Canyon Road, in San Tan Valley. She reported the suspect was wearing a black ski mask attempting to break in to her back door. The family dogs were barking and may have scared off the intruder. Prior to entering the house, the suspect fled over the back fence of the residence.
Sheriff Paul Babeu said, “Our deputies responding to the incident spotted the suspect near the residence and took him into custody without incident. They discovered a black ski mask and a 9mm handgun on his person. He was identified as Gerardo Gutierrez, a 17-year-old San Tan Valley resident.” Sheriff Babeu went on to say, “A neighbor reported seeing a second suspect, described as a Hispanic male in his teens, 5’7”, heavy build, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and jeans. As a precaution, deputies notified San Tan Heights K-8 School and Mountain Vista Academy to implement a lock-down procedure.
Deputies searched for the second suspect with the help of K-9 units and air support. At 3:15 p.m., the second suspect was located hiding in his residence a few blocks from the victim’s residence. The second suspect is identified as Lorenzo Verdugo-Lopez, an 18-year-old San Tan Valley resident.”
Lopez was booked in to the Pinal County Adult Detention Center. Gutierrez, a juvenile, was booked in to the Pinal County Juvenile Detention facility. Both will face charges of residential burglary.