MORGAN HILL
– Sheriff’s deputies believe they solved three burglaries
Wednesday after they served a search warrant on the south end of
the city and found an assortment of stolen antiques, guns and other
items.
MORGAN HILL – Sheriff’s deputies believe they solved three burglaries Wednesday after they served a search warrant on the south end of the city and found an assortment of stolen antiques, guns and other items.
Deputies arrested two men and two women in connection with the burglaries: Jason Deas, 19; Lisa Clark, 33; Shane Hinchberger, 42; and a 17-year-old girl whose name deputies did not release because she is a juvenile.
Each faces felony charges of burglary and possession of stolen property, according to Deputy Detective Julian Quiñonez.
Hinchberger also was found to be in violation of parole; he was previously convicted of possession of stolen property. Clark, Hinchberger and the juvenile also face an additional felony for possession of methamphetamine.
Deputies said Deas lived in the main house at 395 W. Middle Ave., where the arrest took place. Clark was staying in the house with another man, who was not arrested. Hinchberger lived in a trailer on the property. The 17-year-old was visiting, Quiñonez said; her address is in San Martin, although she appeared to have stayed in various places recently.
On the West Middle Avenue lot were a house, three trailers, a barn with a converted bedroom and a half-dozen or so vehicles, not all of which appeared to be operational.
In searching the property, deputies recovered items that three burglary victims confirmed as their own, including six guns: Two antique double-barrel shotguns, two newer shotguns, a semi-automatic rifle and an antique rifle.
Deputies said the victims also identified antique pictures, antique wooden boxes, three tool boxes with tools, boxes of plates and silverware, a gold pocket watch, antique coins and many miscellaneous personal items with sentimental value to their owners.
“The real valuable stuff we didn’t recover, things like large tool boxes,” Deputy Rich Rutman said. He and Quiñonez said they think the suspects may have sold those items at flea markets in Santa Cruz County and San Jose.
Because of the antique nature of so many of the recovered items, deputies would not speculate how much they were worth.
Quiñonez said some of the antiques bore the name of a Uvas Road resident who, after deputies contacted him, said he didn’t know his property had been burglarized.
The man confirmed, however, that the items were his.
On Wednesday afternoon, deputies said they were in the process of returning all the property to its owners.
Deputies said they were led to the house by Deas and Clark, whom a deputy had previously arrested Monday.
Staff Photographer Chris Riley contributed to this report.
