A man suspected in a series of Southland home burglaries — some of which targeted people who were attending funerals — pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he burglarized two homes in Los Angeles and Sherman Oaks.
Brett Rogers, 44, is charged with two felony counts of first-degree residential burglary involving break-ins at homes on Greenfield Avenue in Los Angeles on March 7 and on Nagle Avenue in Sherman Oaks four days later, according to Los Angeles County prosecutors.
Police in Los Angeles said they received several calls that helped them identify Rogers as the suspect after they released security video from a doorbell camera at the Sherman Oaks home taken when the occupants were away at a funeral.
“Based on this investigation Rogers may also be involved in burglaries in Glendale and Lakewood where those victims were also at funerals,” police said in a statement last week, alleging that “Rogers was notorious for burglarizing homes while the residents were away attending funerals.”
Rogers was arrested last Thursday by Anaheim police.
He is due back in a Van Nuys courtroom May 30 for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial.
If convicted as charged, Rogers could face more than seven years in state prison, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.