By Khalida Sarwari
A community effort led to the arrest of a San Jose man suspected of stealing property from unlocked vehicles in a Pleasanton neighborhood Monday morning, police said today.
Billy Joe Auston, 27, allegedly stole cell phones, iPods, laptop computers, GPS devices, stereo equipment and briefcases from at least seven unattended vehicles in Pleasanton.
Police said help from concerned citizens led to Auston’s arrest. Local residents reportedly saw Auston speed off in a white pick-up truck when he saw police officers investigating one of the robberies on Lethbridge Court.
The residents described the white pick-up truck to police, who later found the vehicle unoccupied and parked on W. Las Positas Boulevard. Police said officers found stolen items inside the truck.
Auston was not apprehended until residents on Warrenton Court reported more apparently stolen items hoarded in nearby bushes. Police spotted Auston walking from the front door area of the home next door to where the property was found. Witnesses confirmed Auston was the driver of the truck, police said.
He was booked into Santa Rita Jail on five counts, including burglary, possession of stolen property and loitering on private property.
It is possible that an accomplice was involved in the burglary, police said. The investigation continues.
