Burglary Suspect Linked to Theft Ring

An Oxnard man recently arrested near Malibu while allegedly breaking into a car is believed to have been involved in 10 other auto break-ins and a home burglary, authorities said.

Paul D. Fenlon, 21, was arraigned Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court on burglary charges stemming from a Jan. 9 incident at Leo Carrillo State Beach, said state Park Ranger Stephanie Price, a spokeswoman for the Department of Parks and Recreation in Malibu.

Fenlon was nabbed at Carrillo State Beach when California state park rangers responding to a car alarm caught him next to the vehicle, which had its window broken, Price said.

Rangers found that Fenlon had been driving a stolen car at the time, and a search of that vehicle turned up property from 10 auto break-ins in Los Angeles and Ventura counties and a home burglary in Moorpark, Price said.

Officials said they believe that Fenlon was breaking into cars parked at popular beaches along Pacific Coast Highway. Fenlon is believed to have been involved in a burglary ring that had operated along the highway for several years, authorities said.

Detectives from the Los Angeles County and Ventura County sheriff’s departments and the Oxnard Police Department, as well as state park rangers, are still investigating the burglary ring.