A Vista man was arrested on suspicion of breaking into a Westlake Village home early Sunday and stealing an Apple iPad and other presents.
Noise awoke the home's occupant about 3:30 a.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. He confronted the intruder, chased him a short distance and lost sight of him.
Later in the morning, he called deputies at the Malibu/Lost Hill's Sheriff's Station in Calabasas and said his iPad was "pinging" from a nearby home. Deputies went to that home, found the computer and arrested Patrick Krewson, 20.
Working with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, deputies connected Krewson to the theft of more than 40 Christmas presents in Vista on Thursday. The presents, including two flat-screen televisions, a laptop computer and children's gifts, were found and returned before the end of Christmas Day, deputies said.
A defendant in Ventura County may face misdemeanor or felony charges for
burglary, depending on the type of structure entered as well as the use of a weapon and other factors. A felony burglary conviction on a defendant's record may also mean a "
strike" on his or her record, resulting in greatly enhanced penalties for future felony convictions.