The January crime statistics were presented to the Turlock City Council on Tuesday and while most rates remained in line with other months, the report showed an increase in the number of commercial burglaries that according to the Turlock Police Department, were the work of a pair of suspects who have subsequently been arrested.
The number of commercial burglaries reported in January came in at 22, up significantly from the eight that had been reported in December. Of all the commercial burglaries reported in January, eight of them were at local dentist offices and investigators suspect they were all committed by the same suspects.
On Feb. 16, the Modesto Police Department arrested Josh Swiderski, 36, and Steven Vera, 25, on allegations they burglarized a dentist office in Modesto. The two men are suspected of committing a series of burglaries at dental and optometric offices throughout the county that started back in August 2016. The Modesto and Turlock police departments had been working together to try and develop leads and suspect information and had identified 50 burglaries they believe were carried out by the same suspects.
Swiderski remains in custody for the February incident and has been charged with four burglaries, along with other felonies. Vera is not in custody and does not have any charges filed against him from the February arrest, according to Stanislaus County Superior Court records.
The other crime statistics presented to the city council were more in line with what has been reported in previous months. The number one type of crime reported in January was larceny, with 105 reports, down from the 136 reported in December. There were 56 burglaries reported in January, compared to 36 reported in December. The third most reported type of crime in January was auto theft at 44, up slightly from the 38 reported in December, according to the police department’s crime data.
The top three calls for service for the police department in January were: suspicious person (159); disturbance (126); and security checks (109). In December, the top three calls for service were: suspicious person (133); suspicious incident (119); and disturbance (113).
The most frequent types of burglary reported in January were for auto burglaries at 28, followed by residential burglaries at 27, commercial burglaries at 22, and other types of burglaries, with eight. In December there were 32 auto burglaries, 23 residential burglaries, eight commercial burglaries, and four other types of burglaries.