A man suspected of stealing a rifle from a truck was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of four car burglaries and possession of methamphetamine after returning to the burglarized truck in an apparent attempt to steal more from it, Santa Rosa police said.
Santa Rosa police were called to the Motel 6 on Cleveland Avenue at around 7 a.m. after someone staying at the motel called to report that his truck had been broken into and a rifle stolen, said Sgt. Phil Brazis.
While waiting for police to arrive, the man noticed someone lurking around his truck.
When officers arrived, the man alerted them to the loiterer. Officers started talking to the man, Donald Brian Bradford, 22, residence unknown, and found out he was in possession of methamphetamine, Brazis said.
"It appears the guy came back for more and got caught halfway through," Brazis said.
They arrested him, and a further investigation led to detectives finding Bradford's vehicle nearby, Brazis said.
In that vehicle, they found the stolen rifle as well as work tools and other items reported stolen from work trucks and other vehicles over the last several days, Brazis said.
Officers arrested Bradford on four counts of burglary and five counts of possession of stolen property, Brazis said.
The arrest follows recent reports of numerous construction trucks being burglarized in Petaluma and Rohnert Park.
"We don't know if this guy is related to those burglaries, but there's nothing right now to say that he is," Brazis said.
He added that work trucks are often targets for burglars because of the expensive tools they hold.
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