Alleged Burglars Arrested with Stolen Property

Three East Palo Alto males were arrested Thursday after a vehicle search turned up stolen items including watches that two of the suspects were wearing openly on their wrists, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

The trio - two men and a boy - was stopped for a minor traffic offense around 2:30 p.m. Thursday by San Mateo County Sheriff's Deputy Scott Berberian on Fair Oaks Avenue near Edison Way in unincorporated Redwood City. The deputy was watching for suspicious activity because the North Fair Oaks area had experienced several recent burglaries, sheriff's officials said.

The men, who were traveling in a tan 1995 Mercedes-Benz, were allegedly found with small amounts of marijuana on them, according to the Sheriff's Office. A further search of the car uncovered items including rare coins and jewelry that were later linked to a burglary in San Carlos that had occurred earlier that day.

Two of the suspects at the time of their arrest were later discovered to be wearing watches that had been taken in that same burglary. Authorities arrested Juan Daniel Ramirez-Nunez, 18, and Braulio Varajas-Villegas, 22, and a 17-year-old boy, on suspicion of possession of stolen property, Sheriff's officials said.

An investigation is underway to determine if the suspects committed the burglary by themselves.

- Bay City News Service