SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The San Diego Police Department announced Thursday the arrest of three people in connection to 26 residential burglaries targeting upscale neighborhoods since Feb. 2023.
According to SDPD Chief David Nisleit, the three suspects were arrested in Escondido on Monday, June 12, as they were in the middle of casing homes. The crimes happened in the department's northeast and northwest divisions.
Charles Ray Henderson IV, 48, was the Riverside County man arrested in this investigation, while Charelle Leann Brunfield and Anthony Latroy Robinson, both aged 30 and from Los Angeles County, were the other members of the crew officers arrested, per SDPD.
"You've got people who are conspiring to come into people's homes whether they are home or not, and to invade their privacy and take away their sense of security," said Chief Nisleit.
Following the arrests, Chief Nisleit says law enforcement agencies served four search warrants at locations in Moreno Valley, Los Angeles County, and Las Vegas.
Police found various items from the burglaries during the searches, including cash, guns, jewelry and safes.
SDPD showed a map with the burglary locations and dates on a screen during the press conference. The first three burglaries happened on Feb. 10, and two more happened towards the end of that month. Investigators say the crew carried out the vast majority of the crimes in March: 16 of them happened that month, and there were three separate days with four burglaries reported.
The map shows six of the burglaries happened in a neighborhood near Scripps Ranch Boulevard.
"We're super relieved that they caught them and hopefully, maybe that'll deter other people from doing this knowing that the heightened awareness exists here now," said one neighbor.
The crew went quiet in April before committing five more burglaries in May. Again, four were committed in one day, showing that the crimes were "sophisticated and planned," as San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan described.
"This is where children, seniors, and adults lay their heads and they should be safe inside their homes," said DA Stephan.
DA Stephan says the suspects are facing 38 felony counts of conspiracy to commit residential burglary and residential burglary, and they could serve an average of 37 years in prison each if convicted.
"I want to make sure that everyone out there understands that residential burglaries, we don't consider those a property crime. This is a crime, that under the law, is against property and people," DA Stephan says.
The district attorney also says the suspects specifically targeted upscale neighborhoods for better value from the crimes. The crew even used cars that matched the look and feel of the neighborhoods, so they could blend in as they cased new victims.
Stephan says the fact that these criminals came from other counties to commit these burglaries, coupled with more residents feeling anxious they could be potential victims, made this investigation a top law enforcement priority.
Chief Nisleit says he was not aware of any injuries to the homeowners targeted in the burglaries.
When asked about the Las Vegas connection to these crimes, Chief Nisleit offered limited details, saying one of the search warrants was served there and leads and tips found during the investigation pointed law enforcement that way.
He said he would love to brag, but those details would have to come out in the courtroom.
Chief Nisleit thanked his own units, the Los Angeles Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, Las Vegas Police Department and the San Diego District Attorney's Office for their help in this investigation.
The arraignment for the suspects is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 15.
