Crime & Safety

Jewelry Heist Goes Awry After Alleged Thief Gets High

Andrew Victor Campas, 24, was caught in the act Tuesday afternoon.

An alleged burglar who tried to pull a jewelry heist in a residential neighborhood was caught with the goods Tuesday – and was apparently under the influence.

Good Hope resident Andrew Victor Campas, 24, was arrested by deputies from the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station Tuesday afternoon after he allegedly burglarized a home in the 21000 block of Senola Avenue in Good Hope a short time before.

Chatter on the police radio Tuesday afternoon indicated there were reports of a suspicious man carrying a black suitcase in the Senola Avenue neighborhood. He was last seen hopping a nearby fence.

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Police responded to the area, but the suspect – later identified as Campas – fled on foot. According to radio reports, an older man attempted to chase Campas before police collared the alleged thief.

When contacted by deputies, Campas was allegedly in possession of stolen jewelry and other pilfered property worth an estimated $3,000 from the Senola Avenue residence, according to police.

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The suspect was positively identified at the scene, according to police, and was arrested and later booked at Southwest Detention Center for burglary and being under the influence of a controlled substance. He is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court May 31.


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