Man Wanted In Burglary Series Arrested In Petaluma Traffic Stop

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A man wanted in connection with a string of daytime burglaries in the Oakmont Community of Santa Rosa was arrested last week in a Petaluma traffic stop.

Santa Rosa Police Department detectives were investigating the burglaries since mid-February by reviewing security footage and following up on investigative leads.

In an unrelated traffic stop March 2 Santa Rosa, Russell Blystone, 38, of Santa Rosa, was found with drugs in his car and items that were stolen in one of the Oakmont burglaries, SRPD Sgt. Christoper Mahurin said.

Blystone was arrested as a result of the traffic stop and booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of possession of suspected methamphetamine and stolen property.

After his arrest, detectives got search warrants for Blystone's car and home where they found items stolen during all four Oakmont burglaries along with property taken during burglaries throughout Sonoma County, Mahurin said.

With the new evidence in hand, Santa Rosa detectives worked with the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office to have a warrant issued for Blystone's arrest on suspicion of five counts of possession of stolen property, one count of burglary, one count of theft by forged/invalid access card, and one count of unauthorized possession of personal information of more than 10 people.

Around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, Petaluma police made a traffic stop and Blystone was a passenger in the car.

"PPD officers discovered that Blystone had an active felony warrant for his arrest and took him into custody," Mahurin said.