Vehicle Burglary Suspects' Plans Go South in Southland

SAN ANGELO,TX- This morning, San Angelo Police arrested two men for multiple vehicle burglaries in the Southland area. 

At approximately 3:45 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 3300 block of Sierra Court for the report of suspicious activity. The complainant, a newspaper courier, reported a man trying to conceal himself in the area.

Responding Patrol Officer S. Beal searched the area and located two subjects who were walking through the neighborhood. The pair was checked and cleared for warrants, and the officer did not find them in possession of anything suspicious. Subsequently, they were released from their detention, said an SAPD press release.

Over the course of the next few hours, officers dispatched to several calls for vehicle burglaries in the surrounding area, including one report of Hitachi Drills stolen from a vehicle in the 3100 block of Timber Ridge Drive and sunglasses stolen from a separate vehicle burglary in the 4500 block.

In a dogged effort to locate the perpetrators, officers continued their search of the area.  At approximately 6:00 a.m., Officer S. Beal observed a suspicious vehicle in the 3200 block of Sierra Drive. Three of the windows were down, and keys in the console. 

In an attempt to locate the registered owner, a records search showed the vehicle was registered to the same address as one of the subjects Officer Beal detained after the initial call on Sierra Court, the SAPD press release stated.

Shortly after, officer Beal observed the same two men walking along Stone Canyon Trail — this time in possession of a bag the pair did not have during the previous contact. Subsequent to the field investigation, the men were found to be in possession of the stolen drills and sunglasses, as well as other suspected stolen electronics and miscellaneous property.  

Coy Eugene Angley III, 26, was arrested and charged with Burglary of a Vehicle and Theft of Property <$2,500 2/More Previous Convictions. Hector Manuel Gatica, 21, was arrested and charged with two counts of Burglary of a Vehicle.

The two were transported to the Tom Green County Jail without incident. The Department’s Criminal Investigations Division was called out to the scene, and it's believed these arrests will clear several of the morning’s reported vehicle burglaries, SAPD officials said.