Home surveillance footage helped Ripon police officers identify and ultimately arrest a Manteca man on Tuesday for breaking into a home and stealing a bicycle.
Navsagar Singh, 22, was allegedly captured on camera as he entered the backyard of a home on the 300 block of Greenstone Way before entering into a detached garage where he found a bicycle valued at several hundred dollars.
By using the citywide camera system, officers were able to observe Singh riding away on the bicycle and followed him towards the Mistlin Sports Park where they discovered the bicycle without Singh on it.
While performing an area check at an under-construction nearby residential neighborhood officers were able to locate Singh upstairs in an unfinished home hiding near building supplies.
According to Ripon Police, when Singh was being taken into custody he was observed with an injury to his mouth that he claimed came from falling off of the bicycle. He was transported to the Ripon Police Department where he was processed and medically evaluated before being transferred to the San Joaquin County Jail.
As a result of California’s legal guidance to jurisdictions about how to handle incoming criminal suspects in the face of the COVID-19 threat, Singh was released from the San Joaquin County Jail on Thursday – the latest in a string of suspects who will see little to no jail time as long as they promise to appear in court at a later date.
Even though crimes like the ones Singh committed are relatively commonplace, the state’s response to the pandemic and the subsequent stay-at-home orders that have been issued have made crimes of opportunity far less common – the fact that more people are home during the day means that criminals have less of a chance to take something and sneak away undetected.
According to Ripon Police Lieutenant Danny Sauer, the types of calls that patrol officers are used to taking have fallen off in the wake of the stay-at-home order, and other types of crimes have not usurped their place in daily patrols. Sauer said that as a result of the change in behavior, officers have stepped up their routine patrolling of public parks – which remain closed to gatherings – and neighborhoods.
“We want people to know that we’re still out there doing these types of investigations and doing what we can to keep the city safe,” Sauer said. “With so many people that are home we have a decline in those types of crimes, but we’re going to maintain our presence – in neighborhoods, and around businesses – so that people know that we’re out there and we’re ready to respond if needed.
“Especially with the no-bail situation we’re seeing, we want our presence to be known.”
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
