Two friends arrested in string of Arizona City burglaries
On the afternoon of September 19th, an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer was on patrol near Interstate-10 and Arizona City when he was approached by a man who told the officer he wanted to turn himself in for several burglaries he was involved with in the Arizona City area.
The man was later identified as Zachary Nelson, age 26, of Arizona City.
Property Crime Detectives responded and met with Nelson and the DPS Officer. During this initial conversation, Nelson admitted to the burglaries, and the fact he had also stolen a vehicle from one of the homes. He told detectives the vehicle was currently located in the desert area behind the “Loves Truck Stop” in the city of Eloy. Nelson was placed under arrest and the stolen vehicle was located where he told detectives they would find it.
Nelson admitted to committing four residential burglaries along with two other accomplices in the Arizona City area. He agreed to show detectives where the homes were located. After showing the detectives where the homes were located, he then took detectives to his own home and pointed out items he had stolen during some of the burglaries. Nelson identified the two other accomplices who committed the burglaries with him as John Gaitland, age 24, of Arizona City and Robert Acuna, age 37, of Arizona City.
Nelson said the rest of the stolen property was located at a residence in the 9100 block of Magnum Drive in Arizona City. According to Nelson, both Gaitland and Acuna lived at the residence. He said the men were “dangerous people who will shoot it out” because they have stolen firearms and also deal narcotics out of the residence.
Zachary Nelson was booked into the Pinal County Adult Detention Center for Burglary in the first degree, Criminal Trespassing in the first degree and Criminal Damage. On September 20th, detectives requested and were granted a search warrant for the home in the 9100 block of Magnum Drive. Due to the safety concerns, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Regional SWAT team was used to secure the residence.
Prior to SWAT arriving on the scene, Gaitland and Acuna were seen leaving the residence in a vehicle. A high-risk stop was conducted, and they were both taken into custody. When deputies searched Acuna, they discovered he had a glass pipe in his pocket. The pipe had residue in it which was consistent with the pipe being used to smoke methamphetamines.
PCSO SWAT secured the residence, and property crime detectives began collecting evidence from both the residence and the vehicle which Gaitland and Acuna had been driving. Detectives were able to locate stolen firearms, electronics, digital scales, stolen credit cards & checks, lawn equipment, tools, ammunition, and other items. One of the firearms also had its serial number altered. Gaitland is a prohibited possessor of firearms because of prior felony convictions. Narcotics and other drug paraphernalia were also found during the search.
John Gaitland and Robert Acuna were booked into the Pinal County Adult Detention Center for Burglary in the first degree, Trespassing in the first degree, Criminal Damage, Possession of Stolen Property, Theft of Credit Cards/Checks, Possession of Narcotic Drugs, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Marijuana for Sale. Gaitland was also charged with Misconduct Involving Weapons.
Sheriff Paul Babeu stated, “Numerous burglaries have been solved and the stolen property will be returned to their rightful owners. Detectives will continue this investigation and determine how many other burglaries these three suspects are involved with. While sometimes burglaries are difficult to solve, this time thanks to one of the suspects feeling the pressure, we got the help we needed.”
