Benicia Police Arrest Two Suspects in Vehicle Burglaries

Benicia police believe two suspects apprehended early Wednesday morning were responsible for a series of auto burglaries committed either late Monday night or early Tuesday morning in the 100 block of Rankin Way. 

One of the burglarized vehicles had a window smashed and a computer, credit cards and electronic devices were stolen. One of the stolen credit cards was used at a local business at 5 a.m. Wednesday near the scene of the crime.

Police were able to use video surveillance tapes to see a male and a female suspect as well as the car they were driving.

Tuesday, just before midnight, Officer Also Serrano of the Benicia Police Department  was patrolling the area where the break-ins had occurred when he spotted a vehicle that matched the description of the vehicle seen in the surveillance tape.

The male suspect seen on the tape was in the car and a female was seen walking away. A search of the vehicle revealed many of the items stolen the night before as well as merchandise purchased with the stolen credit cards, police said.

The suspects, 41-year-old Eric Steven Norlin of Concord and 31-year-old transient Sierra Nichole Schieber, were arrested on suspicion of possessing stolen property.  Norlin was also arrested on suspicion of 484(g) PC (using a stolen credit card) and 182 PC (criminal conspiracy).  Scheiber was also arrested on suspicion of prowling and criminal conspiracy.

"People who come from out of town to commit crimes in Benicia tend to target one area," said Lt. Mike Daley of the Benicia Police Department. "They may not be familiar with the whole town, so once they learn one area, they think they can come back and commit more crime in the part of town they are familiar with.

"This is a great example of an alert police officer being active on his beat and following up on leads and information learned to prevent more burglaries from occurring," said Daley.

Both suspects were taken to the county jail in Fairfield.