Couple Nabbed In Gilroy For Palo Alto Residential Burglary

SOUTH BAY, CA - A husband and wife were stopped by the CHP while driving through Gilroy and then arrested after evidence from a Palo Alto home burglary was found in their vehicle.

At about 10:44 p.m. on Sunday, March 12, Palo Alto police received a call of a residential burglary that had just been discovered at a home in the 600 block of Fulton Street. The residents, a couple in their seventies, reported that they had returned home a few minutes earlier after being gone since 9:30 a.m.

The investigation revealed that the suspect had gained access to a side yard via an unlocked gate, and then entered the home itself by forcing open a window that had been left ajar. Once inside, the suspect stole jewelry, a checkbook, credit cards, cash, and miscellaneous personal property. The victims had no suspect information.

At about 2 a.m. on Monday, March 13, an officer from the California Highway Patrol stopped a black 2001 BMW 535i four-door sedan for a Vehicle Code violation in Gilroy being driven by 29-year-old Joseph Nolan Hopkins of Costa Mesa. His wife, 28-year-old Breanna Maree Hopkins, was a passenger in the car.

During the course of the stop, the CHP officer discovered the victims’ checkbook inside the car and notified the Palo Alto Police Department. They also found both suspects to be in possession of burglary tools, and learned that the male had initially given police a false name.

The CHP officer booked both suspects into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for felony possession of stolen property and misdemeanor possession of burglary tools. The CHP officer also booked the male on a misdemeanor charge of providing false information to police.

Later that morning, detectives from the Palo Alto Police Department went to the jail to conduct interviews and a follow-up investigation. They learned that the male was out on bail for burglary, grand theft auto, and resisting arrest. Detectives added additional booking charges on the male of felony residential burglary and committing a felony while out on bail for another felony. Detectives have also requested that the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office add a felony charge of residential burglary on the female.

Detectives ultimately recovered all of the property stolen from the burglary, with the exception of a couple items of miscellaneous personal property, which remain missing. Detectives are still investigating to see if these two suspects may be connected to any other residential burglaries in Palo Alto or surrounding communities.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the 24-hour Palo Alto police dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through our free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.

Images via Palo Alto police