A 29-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with 18 burglaries across San Francisco, officials announced Wednesday.
Patrick Potter of San Francisco is accused of burglarizing and vandalizing businesses, homes and vehicles in several neighborhoods, including Chinatown, North Beach, Telegraph Hill, Russian Hill, Nob Hill and Pacific Heights, the district attorney's office said. Laptops, video game consoles and packages were among the items said to have been stolen.
"Property crimes deeply impact residents and businesses across the city," District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement. "I am grateful to the San Francisco Police Department for their efforts to solve this burglary series that spanned many neighborhoods and involved numerous victims. We will seek justice for the victims in the courtroom and continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to improve public safety across the city and ensure that there is accountability for criminal behavior.”
Potter on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to the following: three counts of felony first degree residential burglary; one count of attempted first degree residential burglary; 11 counts of felony second degree burglary for commercial, residential and auto burglaries; six counts of receiving or buying stolen property; one count of grand theft; four counts of felony vandalism; and three misdemeanor counts of vandalism, the district attorney's office said.
Jenkins said her officer asked that Potter be held in custody until trial because of the volume of crimes he's accused of. A judge granted that motion during Potter's arraignment.
"Normally, burglary cases go to our general felonies unit," Jenkins said. "However, given the prolific nature of this activity, I felt that it was necessary to assign it to our major crimes unit, which is the unit for more serious and repeat offenders and is handled by more experienced prosecutors."
Potter's next court date is scheduled for July 25.
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If convicted on all charges, Potter faces over 25 years in prison, the district attorney's office said.
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