A man charged with 68 felony counts of identity theft and fraud in multiple counties is in jail and due in court on Tuesday.
The suspect, 18-year-old Kevin Lucas, was arrested and booked into the Vista Detention Center in San Diego County in June, according to a police statement from the City of Manhattan Beach Police.
Lucas is suspected of targeting the vehicles of people, primarily surfers, who leave cell phones and wallets in their cars, then using stolen credit cards in Target stores throughout the counties of San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura, according to police.
In the City of Manhattan Beach alone, near Los Angeles, approximately 35 vehicles were burglarized from January 2016 to May 2017, although not all are attributed to Lucas, according to an investigation by Manhattan Beach detectives.
In July the Manhattan Beach Police detectives searched a residence in Inglewood, Calif., and found evidence that pinned Lucas as one of the burglary suspects in that area.
San Diego County issued an arrest warrant for Lucas based on his alleged connection to several burglaries in San Diego, and in June he was in custody in Vista.
Lucas is charged with identity theft and fraud-related charges and is awaiting his court date, according to police.
