Contra Costa Man Accused In Rash Of Napa County Car Break-Ins: PD

AMERICAN CANYON, CA — A Richmond man was arrested this week in connection with a rash of car break-ins reported over the past two months at Newell Open Space parking lot in American Canyon, police said.

In each incident, the suspect punched/smashed the car windows and took items of value, American Canyon police Chief Rick Greenberg said.

In the most recent incident March 14, a witness provided police with a description of the suspect and his car, a white BMW sedan, along with the license plate number of the car.

Using that information, the police department was able to identify the suspect as 26-year-old Jamal Rutledge of Richmond, the chief said.

Around 11 a.m. Friday, March 18, an officer saw the BMW in the area of American Canyon Road and Newell Drive. The officer recognized the driver as Rutledge and tried to pull him over but Rutledge did not stop and a brief pursuit ensued.

However, the officer ended the chase because of Rutledge's reckless driving, Greenberg said.

Instead, the police department got a search warrant for Rutledge and learned that on Wednesday he would be checking in with the Contra Costa Probation Department.

On Wednesday, detectives with the American Canyon Police Department and Napa County Sheriff's Office went to Contra Costa County and arrested Rutledge on suspicion of the rash of car burglaries.

Rutledge was brought to the Napa County jail and when he was searched prior to being booked, a "window punch" commonly used in vehicle burglaries was found in his pants pocket, Greenberg said.