Police arrested three people early Tuesday morning on allegations of burglary and using drugs after an officer saw them driving suspiciously through a Morgan Hill neighborhood.
A Morgan Hill patrol officer noticed a vehicle on Cosmo Avenue in south Morgan Hill driving without its headlights on about 3:06 a.m. Tuesday, according to Morgan Hill police Sgt. Troy Hoefling.
The officer followed the vehicle as it traveled east on Cosmo Avenue, and watched a male subject exit the car and start to walk away, Hoefling said. The officer contacted the male, and advised dispatch that the vehicle had parked and two more occupants walked into the Village Avante apartment complex, which is bound by Cosmo, Del Monte and Matilda Court.
More officers arrived and set up a perimeter, police said. The two subjects were located on foot.
After an investigation, officers determined that the three subjects – Tania Gallegos, 19 of Gilroy; Jose Plancarte-Villegas, 20 of Escondito; and a 17-year-old male from San Jose – had stolen the vehicle they were traveling in before parking it outside the apartment complex, Hoefling said.
The vehicle was allegedly stolen from a residence in San Jose, then the suspects drove to Morgan Hill where they burglarized a vehicle parked at the Monte Vista apartment complex in the area of Dunne and Del Monte avenues.
All three suspects were also determined to be under the influence of methamphetamine, and Plancarte-Villegas was in possession of a small amount of the drug, Hoefling said.
Gallegos and Plancarte-Villegas were arrested and transported to Santa Clara County jail, where they were booked on suspicion of possession of stolen property, being under the influence of a controlled substance, burglary and possession of a controlled substance, according to police.
The male juvenile was booked at Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of burglary, being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of stolen property, and providing a false name, Hoefling said.
The case is still under investigation and has been sent to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, police said.
Anyone with information regarding this incident can contact the Morgan Hill Police Department at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.
Police remind all citizens to report suspicious activity in their neighborhood by calling 911.
“Always lock your vehicles and remove all valuables whenever possible,” Hoefling said.
