San Bruno Man Arrested As Suspect In Car Break-In Spree

SAN BRUNO, CA - A suspect in eight auto burglaries in San Francisco was arrested last week, police said today.

Kristen "Jason" Bell, 31, of San Bruno, was arrested at 8 p.m. March 8 at Williams Avenue and Phelps Street, in San Francisco's Silver Terrace neighborhood, Officer Albie Esparza said. Officers from the Southern Police Station and the Patrol Task Force conducted an investigation over several days, which led to Bell's arrest.

Officers obtained a search warrant and then searched Bell's home where they found evidence of the burglaries as well as other contraband, police said.

Police arrested Bell on suspicion of nine counts of auto burglary, four counts of possession of stolen property and five counts of possession of burglary tools. Bell is in custody on a $365,000 bond, according to the San Francisco Sheriff's Department.

He has a prior criminal history.

In San Francisco, auto theft was up 8 percent in 2015, compared with 2014, according to the San Francisco Police Department. The number of autos burglarized in 2015 was 5,712, compared with 5,290 in 2014, police data show.

--Bay City News