Nine charged in connection to 30 San Diego home burglaries

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Nine people have been charged in connection with 30 San Diego home burglaries.

The suspects are accused in more than 55 home burglaries spanning from San Diego to Riverside and Los Angeles Counties and Las Vegas, Nevada.

The crimes happened during a four-month span in San Diego between January and May, but some were recorded in other jurisdictions as recently as the end of July.

"A multi-agency take down led to the arrest last week in Los Angeles and throughout Riverside County," District Attorney Summer Stephan said.

The nine people charged range in ages from 18 to 24 years old: Amaya Armstead, 24; Timmon Betts, 23; Gregory Davis III, 19; Daniel Esquivel, 22; Tyrell Haley, 24; Naka McBath Jr., 22; Khaliq Thomas, 22; Noel Torres, 23; and Keshaun Watson, 18.

McBath Jr. and Torres were in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty. McBath Jr. was emotional in the courtroom.

“Your honor this was a sophisticated operation that required extraordinary level of teamwork from out of county defendants who came to specifically target residents of San Diego County," Deputy District Attorney Malak Behrouznami said in court Wednesday.

"Our homes are the place where we should feel safe, but these criminals took advantage of our community to carry out these crimes," San Diego Police Deputy Chief Paul Connelly said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon after the arraignment.

These mini-crime sprees were focused in Mira Mesa, Carmel Valley and Rancho Peñasquitos, and all had similar tactics of breaking out a back door, knowing the layout of the home and taking money, jewelry and designer purses.

"This prosecution should send a strong message that you are not going to travel to San Diego and get away with it, we will track you down using every legal tool available to us in order to make our neighborhoods safe," Stephan said.

Stephan said all of the defendants lived in Riverside of Los Angeles County and traveled to San Diego to commit the crimes.

Stephan said the burglary crews were typically groups of at least three people – wearing masks and gloves, making it difficult to identify them.

Officials said in at least three of the cases, the homeowner was present, some with a baby at the home.

Each defendant is charged with three to 24 counts of first-degree residential burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary. If convicted on all counts, the defendants face anywhere from eight to 35 years to life.