Man arrested in another state faces extradition to California

 Posted on May 31, 2011 in Criminal Defense

On Friday morning a Florida police officer believed a car was parked in an unusual spot. Police claim the officer approached the vehicle and asked the five people in the car what they were up to. The officer says the five people gave conflicting stories. She says she believes one of the occupants of the car was involved in some king of drug related activities. The officer called for backup and a K-9 handler to have the dog conduct a sniff search of the vehicle. The dog reportedly alerted during the sniff search.

As it turns out, one of the occupants in the car had an outstanding warrant from California. The 25-year-old is believed to have violated parole in California. Moreover, law enforcement in Los Angeles claims the man is wanted in a relation to charges in a number of alleged California burglaries.

Los Angeles police believe the man may be implicated in potentially hundreds of burglaries in Southern California. Police say the man, along with others would knock on the front door of residences during the daytime. If no one responded from inside the residence, police say the group would break into the home and take items, including jewelry, money and guns they found inside.

The man and the four other people he was with in Florida were taken into custody Friday and reportedly charged with a number of crimes. The 25-year-old man with an outstanding California warrant faces potential extradition related to the alleged parole violation and burglary charges in California.

The California burglary allegations reportedly arose after police received a tip during an investigation into gang activity. Allegations of gang involvement can expose a person accused of a crime in California to harsher penalties. However, like the facts underlying the criminal charges, prosecutors have the burden to prove gang allegations at trial. A person charged with a crime in California has the right to challenge the state's evidence in court.

Source: Gainesville Sun, "California's Knock Knock suspect arrested in Gainesville," Karen Voyles 31 May 2011