Parolee Caught Red-Handed Burglarizing Home While Wearing GPS Monitor: Police

LOS ANGELES, CA — A man was arrested last week after burglarizing a house in the San Fernando Valley while he was wearing a GPS tracker connected to his status as a parolee, the Los Angeles Police Department said on Sunday.

Officers responded to call Wednesday at around 1:30 p.m. regarding a citizen holding a burglary suspect on the 14700 block of Otsego Street, between Magnolia Boulevard and the 101 Freeway in Sherman Oaks, police said.

Responding officers took Joshua Batt, 43, into custody while he was in possession of property he took from the home. He was later booked on a charge of burglary, the LAPD said.

The investigation revealed Batt forced his way into the home through a side door and ransacked the interior. Batt, an inter-state parolee, was wearing a GPS tracker. Police notified state corrections officials, who placed a parole hold on Batt, the LAPD said.

The San Fernando Valley has been grappling with a spike in brazen burglaries over the last month. Several businesses reported being hit repeatedly, and one paintball gun-wielding homeowner has gone vigilante to protect his neighborhood.

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