Police say 15 laptops stolen near Cal Poly

Posted: Dec 3, 2012 5:36 PM by Keli Moore, KSBY News
Updated: Dec 4, 2012 8:27 AM

Stolen laptops part of suspected theft ring

Over the weekend 15 MacBook laptops were stolen from five homes near Cal Poly.

San Luis Obispo Police said they are investigating this string of home burglaries as an organized theft ring. Police also said these types of burglaries increase during the holiday break.

"It is the worst possible time to have anything taken from you right before finals," said Merry Bestard, a Cal Poly student.

"I just noticed that I had left my computer on my bed and it was gone," said Kelly Donahue, who is also a student at Cal Poly.

Friday night Kelly Donahue and her roommates ran out to grab a coffee at Starbucks, which is just down the street. They left their door unlocked, which is nothing new for these college girls.

"It's kind of freaky to know that someone came in here," said Donahue.

Police said Monday, it appeared the burglars only had one thing on their list.

"They got three MacBooks and three chargers," said Donahue.

Wallets and other electronics were readily available, but did not get taken.

"I would say things like this where you have an item that has an easy resale value are the items that they will typically target and steal," said Cpt. Chris Staley, San Luis Obispo Police Department.

He offered some simple ways to prevent burglaries:

1. Lock your doors
2. Keep expensive items out of sight and lock them away
3. Take expensive items with you when leave town

"I think SLO is just such a trusting town. People think nothing bad will happen and I can go out without locking the door, but stuff like this makes you think twice," said Bestard.

And thinking twice for these college students means keeping their doors locked even when they are home.

Pawn shops told KSBY they typically don't buy electronics like these. They say it's a red flag for them. But police said these computers will most likely end up in Los Angeles, and won't sell for much -- maybe $100.

Staley said all of the break-ins were on Foothill Boulevard, and Hathway and Buena Vista Avenues.