3 Arrested in Encinitas on Suspicion of Residential Burglary

ENCINITAS, CA: A wanted felon and two other men were arrested Wednesday in Cardiff on suspicion of residential burglary following a search that involved a helicopter and a K-9 team, a sheriff's sergeant said.

The trio came to the attention of authorities at about 9 a.m. when residents near Robley Place reported seeing three men going to door-to-door, asking strange questions, according to San Diego sheriff's Sgt. Ken Lawrence.

Residents said the men were wearing hoodies and were seen driving a gray Ford Taurus. Deputies responded to the 900 block of Robley Place — off of Legaye Drive, just west of Interstate 5 — and found a car fitting that description but with no one in it, the sergeant said.

"As deputies were checking the vehicle, they heard what appeared to be several subjects in the back yard of a residence," Lawrence said. "The subjects jumped the back fence and fled from the area."

Deputies set up a large perimeter in the area and with the assistance of a K-9 from the San Diego Police Department and a sheriff's ASTREA helicopter crew, all three men were taken into custody, Lawrence said.

The men, identified as Stephen Pittman, 23, Earl Hart, 23, and Demorie Stanley, 24, were all arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Stanley also had two outstanding felony warrants for his arrest, according to Lawrence. 

The sheriff's media relations office said one suspect was taken into custody by 9:30 a.m., and the other two within about an hour.

Patch file photo