CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Early Thursday Clearlake Police officers arrested a Clearlake man who they believe is responsible for burglarizing several city businesses this week, and for previous incidents in 2012 and 2013.
Michael Matthew Jenson, 21, was arrested at around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, according to police.
The investigation that led to Jenson's Thursday arrest began this week, according to Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph.
On Monday at 12:16 a.m. Clearlake Police officers responded to an alarm at Radio Shack, located at 14915 Olympic Drive, Joseph said.
When officers arrived it was discovered that someone had smashed a window to the front of the business and had stolen two computers. Joseph said the subject who committed the burglary was not identified and managed to flee with the stolen property.
Several hours later, just before 6 a.m., officers were dispatched to a report of a “glass break” alarm sounding at Lakeshore Sports, located at 14913 Lakeshore Drive, Joseph said.
Officers arrived to find a broken glass window at the front of the business. Joseph said almost $900 worth of laser gun sights, knives and flashlights had been stolen in the burglary.
Video surveillance was obtained from the business documenting the crime. Joseph said a lone male subject was seen in the surveillance video committing the crime, but at that point was not positively identified.
Then, just after 3 a.m. Thursday, Clearlake Police officers responded to another “glass break” alarm at Lakeshore Sports, according to Joseph.
When officers arrived on scene within less than a minute of the call, they discovered another window smash. However, the window remained intact, which Joseph said indicated that the suspect had not made entry into the business.
Video surveillance of the crime showed a subject trying to break the window with a large chunk of asphalt, but leaving the area just prior to police arriving on scene. Joseph said the subject in this latest crime appeared to be the same suspect from the previous burglary at the business on Monday.
While officers were on scene investigating the incident at Lakeshore Sports, another “glass break” alarm came in from Radio Shack at around 4:08 a.m., Joseph said.
Joseph said officers arrived on scene within a minute of the call and discovered another window smash to the front of the business, with the area of smashed glass large enough for a person to enter. Officers immediately began conducting an area check for the suspect.
Within a short period of time, Officer Andrew Adams and Officer Trevor Franklin located a male subject prowling around the back side of Rite-Aid, located at 15025 Olympic Drive. The subject was in possession of a couple of laptop computers and other items, Joseph said.
Joseph said the male subject – later identified as Jenson – fled from officers on foot, leaving property behind. After a short foot pursuit, Adams and Franklin took Jenson into custody. Jenson was uncooperative with officers.
The two laptop computers, a Sony PlayStation 3, a cellular phone and an iPhone screen repair kit were found in Jenson's possession. All of this property was determined to have been stolen from Radio Shack and valued at nearly $1,000, Joseph said.
Video surveillance obtained from Radio Shack implicated Jenson in the latest burglary, Joseph said. Additionally Jenson was identified as the responsible in the two earlier burglaries at Lakeshore Sports.
Jenson was arrested on three counts of commercial burglary for the Radio Shack and Lakeshore Sports incidents, prowling at Rite-Aid, obstruction, possession of stolen property and felony two no bail warrants, one of the warrants being for burglary, Joseph said.
Jenson was booked into the Lake County Jail and is being held without bail, according to jail records.
Joseph said that Jenson had been arrested on Feb. 3, 2013, for a burglary at Lakeshore Sports that had occurred two days earlier.
During the arrest and booking process at that time, Jenson also admitted to committing a burglary to Xsite Motorsports, located at 14883 Lakeshore Drive, on Sept. 26, 2012, Joseph said.