Man arrested in connection with Woodside burglaries

Police have arrested Justin Ralph Mitchell, 26, of Redwood City in connection with a string of residential burglaries, including three in Woodside on Oct. 13 and 14.

Redwood City police arrested him on Oct. 16 after identifiing a vehicle registered to Mr. Mitchell in a surveillance video as the vehicle was leaving a business in the vicinity of a recent auto burglary.

That identification led police to Mr. Mitchell’s home, which they searched — as allowed under the conditions of Mr. Mitchell’s parole. Police said they found narcotics, items allegedly bought with stolen credit cards, and items allegedly taken in other burglaries.

Mr. Mitchell is a suspect in at least 13 burglaries in Redwood City and Woodside, police said. Of the Woodside burglaries, two occurred in the 200 block of Crest Road and one in the 100 block of Croydon Way, Det. Rebecca Rosenblatt of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said.

In one Crest Road case, the resident noted that a accessory door from the kitchen into the garage was slightly ajar and had been locked open, deputies said. The resident told deputies that he found the main garage door open and drawers to his tool box open, as were doors to vehicles parked in the driveway. Inside the vehicles, the glove boxes and center consoles were found open and items strewn about the interiors. The estimate of loss is $1,520, deputies said.

A resident in the other Crest Road incident found a side window smashed on one vehicle, the interior ransacked and several items missing, deputies said. Another vehicle had also been ransacked but it was unclear as to whether anything had been taken. The door to a bathroom intended for use by gardeners was also found ajar, deputies said. The estimated loss is $720.

Residents in the Croyden Way incident found that both their vehicles had been ransacked overnight, deputies said. (One resident said she seldom locks her vehicle when it’s parked in the driveway, deputies said.) In the garage, the residents found that four tires and rims were missing as were several pieces of electronic gear from the kitchen, deputies said. The estimated losses amount to $4,900.

The burglar entered the homes using garage door openers taken from unlocked vehicles, deputies said.

The Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents to keep their cars locked and remove all valuables from view. Any suspicious activity should be reported to the Sheriff’s Office by calling 911.

Deputies are asking anyone with information on the Woodside burglaries to contact Detective Dan Hoss at (650) 363-4066 or the anonymous tip line at 1-800-547-2700.