A man suspected of committing at least one dozen commercial burglaries was arrested Monday night in Fallbrook – caught in the act in the middle of one of his crimes, officials said.
Oscar Duran Ordonez, 26, was arrested around 10:45 p.m. at Joe’s Hardware Store located at 640 S. Main Ave., according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Ordonez was attempting to burglarize the store when the owner called deputies to report a suspicious person on the property.
Deputies found Ordonez inside the gated exterior of the business.
According to investigators, he matched the description of a man believed to have been involved in more than 12 other commercial burglaries and attempted burglaries in the Fallbrook area.
In each instance, the burglary occurred at night or in the early morning hours. In many cases, nothing was taken, but in the burglaries where there was a loss, cash was stolen, deputies said.
Despite an aggressive investigation, the identity of the suspect involved in those burglaries couldn’t be
established, that is, until Monday night.
Deputies found Ordonez in possession of clothing that linked him to several of the cases.
He was taken into custody and booked into the Vista Detention Facility on one count of attempted burglary and 11 counts of second-degree burglary. His bail was set at $300,000. He’s scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said that prior to his arrest Ordonez was not considered a suspect in the burglary series. He is new to the Fallbrook area and had no prior criminal record.
