[symple_googlemap title=”” location=”Laguna Woods Village ” height=”300″ zoom=”12″]
Sheriff’s investigators Tuesday were seeking additional possible victims of a burglary suspect who allegedly posed as an air conditioning maintenance worker to gain access to homes in a Laguna Woods retirement community.
Aaron Thrasher, 28, of Mission Viejo was arrested on Saturday in Laguna Woods Village after residents reported seeing a suspicious man trying to access their homes, according to sheriff’s Lt. Lane Lagaret.
Residents reported the man claimed to be a city employee “tasked with cleaning the air conditioning equipment,” he said.
“The suspect would knock on doors and tell elderly residents he needed to inspect or clean their air conditioning vents,” according to the lieutenant. “Once inside the house, the suspect walked from room to room to steal items of value, such as jewelry and checks.”
Investigators working the case learned that the suspect sold items to pawn shops in Orange and Los Angeles counties, Lagaret said.
“Several items were identified as stolen from the Laguna Woods community,” he said.
Thrasher was booked on suspicion of several felony and misdemeanor offenses, including burglary, possession of burglary tools and property theft from the elderly, Lagaret said.
He’s being held in lieu of $350,000 bail and is due to appear in court on May 9, Lagaret said.
“So far, OCSD investigators have identified 10 victims of Thrasher, but they believe there are more and they believe he specifically targeted the elderly,” he said.
Images of recovered stolen items are available from investigators or on the sheriff’s Twitter account: @ocsd.
Anyone who believes they may have fallen prey to the suspect or who recognizes their property was urged to call investigators at (714) 647-7000.
— City News Service