Crime and Courts

Multiple Bay Area agencies take down alleged Home Depot theft ring

Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office

An alleged retail theft ring that spanned the Bay Area was disrupted when four people were arrested, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

The "high impact takedown" targeted a ring that was allegedly tied to 200 Home Depot thefts and more than $92,000 in stolen merchandise, the sheriff's office said.

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Four people were arrested Tuesday during coordinated raids in Richmond, San Leandro and South San Francisco. The suspects allegedly crisscrossed the state stealing power tools, pliers, blades and saws from Home Depot stores from Sacramento to Santa Cruz.

"Detectives estimate the group caused more than $68,000 in losses this year alone," said the sheriff's office, "often committing numerous thefts in a single day before reselling the stolen items at flea markets in Oakland and San Jose."

The investigation began in February after Home Depot tipped off detectives.

On Tuesday, stolen merchandise was recovered along with narcotics, and a storage unit in South San Francisco yielded more than 1,000 items taken from Home Depot, the sheriff's office said.

Arrested were two men from San Leandro, Daniel Resendiz, 21, and Jose Martinez, 28. Also taken into custody were Adolfo Herrera, 45, of Richmond, and Wilmer Ayala, 43, of South San Francisco.

All were booked into jail on suspicion of grand theft, retail theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy.

Herrera was also wanted for a probation violation, the sheriff's office said.

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The coordinated investigation also involved the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office and the California Highway Patrol.

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