FOUNTAIN VALLEY AND TUSTIN DETECTIVES ARREST JEWELRY STORE BURGLAR
On November 2, 2015, at 3:11 a.m. Ballard and Ballard jewelry store in Fountain Valley was burglarized. The suspect entered the business by cutting a hole in the roof before disabling the alarm system. The suspect fled undetected with property. On April 20, 2014, Tustin Village Jewelers in Tustin was burglarized. The suspect entered the business by cutting a hole in the roof of the neighboring business before tunneling through into the jewelry store. The total loss in both incidents was approximately $700,000 worth of jewelry.
DNA evidence recovered from both crime scenes linked Victor Barba Herrera (50) from North Hollywood to the crimes. A felony arrest warrant for burglary was obtained for Herrera as well as a search warrant for his residence.
On March 23, 2016, Detectives from the Fountain Valley Police Department and the Tustin Police Department served a search warrant in the 6700 block of Ensign Ave. in North Hollywood. During the search, Detectives recovered burglary tools and potential stolen property from the burglaries. Herrera was located inside the residence and was subsequently arrested. Herrera was booked at Orange County Jail and is being held on $100,000 bail.
Detectives are currently working with other law enforcement agencies to determine if Herrera is responsible for other jewelry store burglaries throughout Orange and Los Angeles County.