Suspected Pasadena Gang Members Sentenced In String Of Burglaries

PASADENA, CA — Two of eight people suspected of being members of the same criminal street gang were each sentenced Monday to more than seven years in prison for their part in a series of residential burglaries in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Preston Lee, 24, of Pasadena, and Kendall World, 21, of Covina each pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit residential burglary and admitted to gang allegations, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Teri Schwartz sentenced Lee to 9 years in prison and World, who also admitted a probation violation, to 7 years and 4 months in prison. World was on parole on a prior burglary conviction but was not sentenced to additional time as a result.

In April, Ventura County sheriff's detectives investigated a series of residential burglaries in various parts of Thousand Oaks and in nearby unincorporated areas that occurred during daytime hours while residents were not home. It's believed the suspects conducted surveillance on the homes before committing the burglaries, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

In each of the burglaries, the suspects gained access to the home through a rear window or glass door. Investigators learned similar burglaries were occurring in Los Angeles County.

Evidence obtained in the investigation linked Terrance Hall, 23, and Keith Callum, 26, both of Pasadena, to one of the burglaries in the unincorporated area near Thousand Oaks. Hall and Callum were determined to be members of a criminal street gang from Pasadena with a history of committing home burglaries and other crimes, deputies said.

Detectives began investigating Hall, Callum and their associates, including Lee, World, Charles Smith, 28, of Pasadena, John Brown, 21, of Altadena, and Kaela Travers, 23, of Los Angeles. Investigators alleged that each was involved in residential burglaries that occurred in Ventura or Los Angeles Counties.

Hall was charged as a co-defendant of Lee and World, but is awaiting a preliminary hearing in Ventura County on a related case. Travers is also in custody in Ventura. The status of cases against Callum, Brown and Smith was not immediately available.

Investigators from Los Angeles and Ventura counties and other local agencies determined at least one of the suspects was receiving information from a person employed by a residential cable provider about homes, homeowner activities, expensive items located inside homes and where the homeowner's surveillance systems were located.

On Aug. 16, search warrants were served in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and evidence linking the suspects to different crimes were located, including six rifles, three handguns, a large quantity of ammunition, stolen property, approximately a pound of marijuana, hundreds of Xanax pills and a large amount of cash, deputies said.

In addition to the seven burglary suspects, Leslie Hall, 50, of Pasadena, was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm after investigators found two firearms and ammunition in a vehicle he owned, authorities said.

Detectives believe the crew is responsible for five burglaries in Ventura County and at least eight in Los Angeles County.

City News Service