Suspect in Home Burglary Arrested After Neighbor Calls Police

A Lake Elsinore man suspected of burglarizing a Lakeland Village home Saturday night was arrested as he left the home through the front door by deputies that had been notified by an alert neighbor, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

The residents of the home in the 18000 block of Brightman Avenue were on vacation and the neighbor was watching the home while they were away, according to Sgt. David Cardoza. The neighbor saw an unknown man enter the home around 7:24 p.m. and notified the Sheriff’s Department.

Responding deputies established a perimeter around the home and saw a man inside they recognized from prior contacts as 31-year-old George Smedley, a transient from Lake Elsinore, according to Cardoza. Deputies confirmed that a burglary had taken place and arrested Smedley outside the front door.

Deputies also found methamphetamine and heroin as they arrested Smedley, Cardoza said. He was booked into the Southwest Detention Center for first-degree residential burglary, possession of a controlled substance, and violating probation, all felonies. Bail was set at $35,000.