WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KGO) — Fremont police arrested a man in Walnut Creek wanted in five Bay Area counties for stealing teachers’ credit cards from their classrooms.
“It appears, from seeing other cases, he was very comfortable on a school campus. He would give various excuses that he was parent, when he was confronted, at times. Or, he would say that he was a staff member,” said Sergeant Richard Hamblin, with the Fremont Police Department.
In October, a Fremont elementary school reported a suspicious man walking around campus. When confronted by staff, police say the man gave conflicting explanations for being on campus, and then left.
Soon after, police got reports of similar incidents at other Fremont schools.
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“He would find unoccupied classrooms and enter a classroom, and go through and steal their IDs, their credit cards. A lot of people did not even know they were victims until they got home and started getting fraud alerts,” Hamblin said.
The Fremont Unified School District declined an interview request, deferring all questions to Fremont PD.
On Monday, Fremont police tracked the suspect to Walnut Creek — when he was returning a rental car — and arrested him, with the help of Walnut Creek police.
“Suspect arrived in a rental car that we believed he was driving at the time. There was a marked unit in the parking lot,” Hamblin said. “Our officer called Walnut Creek PD, told them why he was there and who he was after, and they were able to respond quickly with units — and they were able to catch him.”
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And it’s not just Fremont. Police say the suspect is wanted in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Solano and Yolo Counties for similar thefts occurring on school campuses.
In February, the man he hit four schools in Marin County. In April, two schools in Lafayette. In September, one school in Hillsborough. Police believe there could be other districts as well.
Different police departments reviewed surveillance video at locations where the unauthorized card transactions took place, which helped match the illegal transactions to the suspect.
The suspect was arrested after the Marin County burglaries, but police have not been able to confirm how or why he was released.
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“I know he was arrested and then was let go. And they were actively looking for him. I don’t know all the circumstances of why he was let go or how he got out,” Hamblin said.
In a statement to ABC7 News, Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan praised the police for their investigation, writing: “As a parent and as Mayor, nothing matters more to me than the safety of our children and teachers. I’m incredibly proud of our Fremont Police School Resource Officers for their hard work and collaboration with neighboring cities to stop this suspect.”
“Our schools should always be safe spaces for learning — and this arrest shows what’s possible when our community, educators, and police stand together to protect one another,” Salwan said.
Fremont police say that there is no indication that the suspect hurt or threatened students or staff.
The suspect remains in custody in Contra Costa County Jail. Police expect him to be in court next week.
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