Police nab 3 connected to 13 robberies

Three San Vicente men have admitted to 13 cases of burglary and theft on Capital Hill, As Gonno, Papago and Kagman, Department of Public Safety officials said Tuesday. The men are also believed to be responsible for a string of copper wire theft cases reported since May.

Sheldon U. Remoket, 21; Roland S. Delos Reyes, 19; and Ken Pangelinan, 22, admitted to investigators they were responsible for the recent string of robberies this month. Remoket has been charged with assault and battery in the past.

The three men stole electronics items, such as iPods, DVDs, and TVs from homes, as well as portable generators from homes and restaurants, said George F. David, a detective for the Criminal Investigation Division of DPS,

“Anything fast they could sell on the street,” added Sgt. Sylvan M. Rangamar, operations manager for the DPS Criminal Investigation Division.

Officers caught the suspects after victims and witnesses reported seeing a Mazda 3 sedan around their property prior to the thefts. Investigators found the car near Skyway Café. During questioning the men admitted to officers that they stole the property, David said. Approximately $5,000 in goods was recovered after the men were questioned.

Drug paraphernalia were also found inside the car at the time of the arrests, David said.

The men would “go out and sell [the stolen items] for fast cash; from there [they would] buy drugs,” he added.

David said he believes the men initially began stealing copper wire from abandoned homes in May, but changed tactics to stealing electronics in the last month.

“They stopped that and made this their trend,” he said.

David said it appears the men would monitor a home and wait for the owners to leave before breaking in by kicking in the front door or entering through a window screen and exiting the same way. The incidents occurred during the day, usually after lunch to mid-afternoon.

A recent burglary at the Glory Market in Chalan Kanoa, where two men with machetes cut the line of the cash register, is still under investigation, David said.

Despite the suspects’ apprehension, David said the public should continue to make sure and secure their homes and property before leaving.

Also, police are searching for Joan B. Cabrera, who has a warrant out for her arrest in connection with forgery and theft. Cabrera allegedly stole checks and would go to stores and buy “whatever she needs,” David said.