LAKE COUNTY – A routine traffic stop led to the arrest of a Lucerne man Sunday on charges related to a crime wave in the northern end of the county that authorities have been investigating since the beginning of the month, according to a Tuesday report from the Lake County Sheriff”s Office.
A deputy patrolling Lucerne stopped a Pontiac for running a stop sign and found Raymon Narvaes, 25. Narvaes had been a person of interest in the recent string of burglaries in North Lakeport, Nice and Lucerne, according to Captain James Bauman of the LCSO.
Narvaes said he was a convicted felon and that he had a gun in the trunk, where the deputy found stolen goods, according to Bauman.
Narvaes later admitted to committing seven of the burglaries and a related vehicle theft when he was questioned at the county jail about the series of burglaries.
“While detectives are not convinced Narvaes has admitted to all of the burglaries he has actually committed, it cannot be concluded that he is solely responsible for the recent rash of property crimes,” Bauman said.
The tally now stands at 24 burglaries and seven attempted burglaries on Clear Lake”s west and north shores since the beginning of the month.
According to the LCSO press release, Narvaes agreed to accompany detectives Monday to point out homes he had burglarized. The release said he told police he burglarized four homes at Perk”s and Sterling Shores Mobile Home Parks in North Lakeport, one of the home at Castlewood Estates Mobile Home Park in Nice and two other homes in Lakeport and Nice.
Narvaes was arrested on felony charges of possessing stolen property, being a felon in possession of a firearm and a misdemeanor charge of possessing drug paraphernalia.
Also found in the trunk of the Pontiac were several bags containing jewelry, electronics, credit cards, keys and other items that were believe to have been stolen. Authorities believed some of the stolen items belonged to a woman who lived at Meadow Point Mobile Home Park on Highway 20 in Upper Lake.
“When the woman was contacted and shown the property recovered from the car stop, she had not realized she had been the victim of yet another burglary,” Bauman wrote in the release.
The LCSO investigated seven burglaries and two attempted burglaries at mobile home parks in the North Lakeport area during the first two weeks of November, along with five other homes in the area of Lakeshore Boulevard. Two cars were stolen in that time. As of Monday, Bauman said 12 more burglaries and four more attempted burglaries had been reported in the North Lakeport and Northshore areas.
Bauman said many of the burglary cases are still under investigation.
“Homeowners should continue to be cognizant of the security of their homes and those of their neighbors,” Bauman said.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
