SAN ANTONIO — One man allegedly responsible for targeting and stealing property from wealthy families back in August along with another suspect have both been arrested, according to BCSO Sheriff Javier Salazar.
The 41-year-old, Jerry Mendez and 37-year-old, Julian Puente are being charged for 24 separate counts of burglary, theft and criminal mischief and various charges in connection with a burglary ring that goes back several years, according to Salazar.
On August 11, 2023 Puente was arrested in connection with a high number of jewelry, high value coins, watches and other items that totaled almost 1,600 items recovered the day of his arrest. The stolen items resulted in about $1.1 million.
Salazar said, 'It's a pretty sophisticated ring' and believes there are other suspects involved in the robberies targeting wealthy homes.
According to officials, the two suspects worked for several different contracting companies over the years. They would take screenshots of items on social media and make note when residents would be out of town or out to dinner before burglarizing their homes.
"A pretty fair amount of intel was done on those people and they ran a pretty coordinated operation while they were conducting these burglaries," Salazar said.
BCSO says in one case the men gathered information on the residents for two years prior to the burglary. They ran personal surveillance and through social media waiting for just the right moment when they were out of their home. After the burglary some homes were left with high property damage that included broken windows and safes pulled out of walls, officials say.
BCSO says nobody was hurt in these cases but have reason to believe the men were armed on some of the burglaries.
Salazar advises residents to return home before posting on social media about a vacation or night out. He also says when on vacation to make sure your house looks lived in and install a security system.
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