Police arrested an Arizona man last week after several residents in the Dover Shores neighborhood reported that an individual had attempted to vandalize and/or burglarize their homes, often entering with brute force, possibly a kick to the door, according to a Newport Beach Police Department press release.
Steven Walter Conner Ohlau, 35, of Lakeside, Ariz., was arrested the next day in connection to the crimes and charged with burglary, vandalism, possession of stolen property, and possession of burglary tools.
Overnight between March 27 and 28, several residents reported that an unknown suspect had used brute force, possibly a kick, to force open the front door to the residence. No property was taken in any of the reported incidents.
The suspect was described as a white male with a muscular build. An SUV was also seen near the scene of two of the crimes.
The following night (March 29), between the hours of 7 and 10 p.m., a residence in the 800 block of Muirfield was burglarized. The front door was forced open in the same manner as the other homes, police reported. The resident was not home at the time of the crime, and watches and several items of jewelry were stolen.
That same night an officer was proactively patrolling the Dover Shores area when he observed an SUV matching the suspect vehicle commit a stop sign violation at the intersection of Mariners Drive and Dover Drive. He initiated a vehicle stop on the SUV.
A search of the vehicle revealed burglary tools and several items of jewelry.
The driver, Ohlau, was determined to be the likely suspect in the Dover Shores incidents and was subsequently arrested and booked at the NBPD jail facility.
For more information, visit nbpd.org.
