9OYS Crime Watch
"Why do people do this?"; East side burglary ring busted
Reporter: Maggie Vespa
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - People living on the east side can sleep a little more soundly, thanks to Tucson police.
According to TPD, a two-man serial burglary ring is no more.
Police say the pair broke into not one, not two, not even three, but five homes in the course of a week. Often, the crimes occurred in broad daylight.
The string ended earlier this week, leaving several local families pretty shaken.
"They kicked the door in," described Dian Rutin.
The signs were unmistakeable.
"You can still see some of the damage," she said pointing to splintered wood.
Tuesday afternoon Dian and Saul Rutin returned from errands to find their front door was open, their garage door was up, and their Wrightstown Ranch home was ransacked.
"They got my box with all my watches and my fraternity pins and my rings," said Saul.
"And then they just grabbed here," said Dian, pointing to a now mostly empty rack of necklaces.
The robbers were relentless, even ripping apart a present, wrapped in pink, for the Rutins' six year-old granddaughter.
"Someone else coming into your home, invading your privacy... That's not a good feeling," said Saul.
They say their shock grew, when they learned they were not alone.
"Detectives have been following up on several burglaries in this particular area," said TPD Sergeant Chris Widmer.
He says the first call came on February 19th, from the 6400 block of East 42nd.
From then on, it was rapid fire.
There was one on the 20th, near 500 n Igo; the 21st near 9000 East 9th; and the 22nd near 300 south essex.
Finally came the Rutins, near 8800 east Windflower, on the 26th.
The pattern left neighbors nervous.
"It's scary," said one man.
"You start thinking, 'Okay should I do something else with security?'" said a woman.
"You think, 'Why do people do this?'" said a second woman.
Luckily, police say all that loot left a trail, leading right to a local pawn shop.
"From there, they traced the information given to two individuals," said Sgt. Widmer.
The two, being 19 year-old Alberto Mada and 28 year-old Ray Henderson.
Police arrested them Thursday and recovered goods stolen from several homes.
But the Rutins, who have been burglarized before, say the biggest loss is their security.
"You never forget that," said Dian. "You never forget what was taken."
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