Misguided Youth Busted by Cops for Burglarizing a Building

Three San Angelo residents are behind bars tonight for burglarizing a building thanks to an officer who recognized them from video surveillance footage early this morning.

At approximately 7:30 a.m. today, San Angelo Police Patrol Officer B. Ratcliffe responded to a burglary call at the Texas Leadership Charter Academy building located at 3301 TLC Way.  While on scene, Officer Ratcliffe reviewed video surveillance footage from the incident and recognized one of the suspects.

Officer Ratcliffe took a picture of the suspect from the video footage and sent it to the SAPD Crime Analyst Section for review.  Based on the review of the photo and other information received, the analysts were able to provide investigators with a positive identification and address of the burglary suspect, identified as Miguel Rivas (DOB 07-26-96) of San Angelo.

Police later responded to a residence in the 3000 block of Guadalupe St. in an attempt to locate Rivas.  Once on scene, detectives from the Special Operations Section (SOS) observed items in the backyard of the residence that matched the description of some of the reported stolen property. 

As officers were securing the perimeter of the residence, they observed the suspects in the front yard.  Officers attempted to make contact with the suspects; however, the suspects ran inside the residence and did not respond to officers’ requests to comply.

As Detectives with the Criminal Investigative Division began working to secure a Search Warrant, the property owner arrived to the scene and gave officers consent to enter and search the residence. 

A team of officers made entry into the residence and after a brief search; the suspects were located hiding underneath the house after officers located a drop-space in a bathroom.  The suspects were taken into custody without incident.  

Rivas was charged with Burglary of a Building and transported to the Tom Green County Jail.

The two other suspects, a 16-year-old female and 13-year-old male, were also charged with Burglary of a Building.  Both juveniles were transported to the Tom Green County Juvenile Justice Center.

The stolen property was recovered and released to the owners.

Technicians from the Crime Scene Investigations Section were instrumental in the collection of physical evidence linking the suspects to the crime scene. Detective B. Elrod is the lead investigator assigned to the case.