Suspected Serial Burglar: East Palo Alto Man Arrested

By Laura Dudnick

A 25-year-old East Palo Alto man suspected of burglaries around the Bay Area was been arrested, San Mateo Police said Tuesday.

On Sunday, the Police Department's crime reduction unit combined data of recent crime locations and times with plainclothes and surveillance tactics to locate and arrest Kevin Kipler, San Mateo Police Sgt. Dave Norris said.

While on their surveillance detail just after 1 p.m. Sunday, the crime reduction unit watched Kipler suspiciously drive around to different areas, exit his car and peer into the windows of several parked vehicles, according to Norris.

SMPD was ultimately able to conduct an enforcement stop on Kipler, and found items during a search of his vehicle related to several recent thefts from vehicles in San Mateo, according to Norris.

Further investigation revealed suspicion of Kipler for a residential burglary in San Mateo, as well as the fraudulent use of an access card related to one of the theft incidents, Norris said.

Kipler was booked into San Mateo County Jail on numerous theft-related charges.

Numerous pieces of evidence were seized from Kipler's possession and from follow up investigation at his residence in East Palo Alto, Norris said.

SMPD detectives are continuing to examine these pieces in an effort to identify any additional crimes. SMPD has preliminarily identified property from more than a dozen thefts from vehicles all over the Bay Area.