On November 19, 2016, a commercial burglary occurred at a storage facility located on the 17000 block of Newhope Street in Fountain Valley. The lock was cut on a storage unit and over $8,000 worth of fishing gear, camping equipment, and a custom crossbow was stolen. The victim contacted the Fountain Valley Police Department after he observed his crossbow advertised for sale on a Craigslist ad.
Fountain Valley Detectives arranged an undercover buy with the seller to purchase the crossbow. On November 22, 2016, Detectives detained Alex Crouse (32) from Costa Mesa as he arrived with the stolen crossbow at a pre-arranged location in Costa Mesa. Crouse admitted to the theft, and additional stolen property taken from the storage unit was located at a residence nearby. Crouse was arrested for burglary and an outstanding burglary warrant. He was booked into Orange County Jail where he is being held on $45,000 bail. (FVPD Case 16-47179)