December 27th, 2011

While sound asleep early Christmas morning, a Westlake Village resident was awakened by a noise at 3:30AM in his house.

He confronted the intruder, and the intruder ran away. The victim chased him a short distance before losing sight of the intruder. Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. responded to the scene, but were unable to locate the intruder.

It was discovered that the home had been burglarized, and that among other items, an Apple iPad was taken from the victim’s home.

Later that morning, the victim called the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station and told deputies the stolen iPad was giving a signal from a nearby home. Deputies responded to that location and recovered the iPad.

Deputies arrested Suspect Patrick Krewson at the location. Krewson is a 20-year old resident of Vista in San Diego County, visiting the area.

Malibu/Lost Hills deputies and detectives conducted a thorough follow-up investigation, which led them to information regarding a burglary which occurred in Vista, on December 22, 2011. Two flat-screen televisions, a laptop computer, and more than 40 Christmas presents belonging to children were stolen in the burglary in Vista.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies contacted San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies who police the community of Vista, and they confirmed that Christmas gifts were in fact taken in a burglary in Vista.

A search inside Suspect Krewson’s home in Vista by San Diego County Sheriff's deputies, revealed all of the property stolen during the Vista burglary committed on December 22, 2011.

When Malibu/Lost Hills deputies notified the Vista victim that her Christmas presents had been located in time to give them to the children for Christmas, she began to cry. One of the cooperating parties involved in the investigation said to Malibu/Lost Hills Deputy Frank Brower upon hearing about the recovered gifts, “Deputy Brower, you saved Christmas!”

Suspect Krewson was arrested for Burglary, booked at Malibu/Lost Hills Station, and is being held in lieu of $50,000.00 bail.

San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies will file additional Burglary charges within their respective jurisdiction.

Included with this news release, is a photograph of the happy children in Vista with their recovered Christmas gifts.

This is the latest crime solved using advanced technology, including software embedded into electronic devices to help locate stolen property. In this case, the technology helped solve two home burglaries, and saved Christmas for two families. New technologies are providing new opportunities to protect or recover property, and aid in the investigative process