Man, Woman Arrested In East County Home Burglary

EL CAJON, CA — A man and a woman suspected of burglarizing an occupied East County home were arrested with the help of automated license plate reader technology, police said Monday.

Officers responded at 9:14 a.m. Sunday to the 1300 block of East Madison Avenue in El Cajon to reports of a burglary in progress at a home where the family was inside, according to the El Cajon Police Department.

When they arrived, officers learned that two suspects, a woman who ran away and a man who stole the victims' SUV, had already fled the scene, according to police Lt. Brandon Stanley. Officers obtained video footage of the suspects leaving the residence and arrested Sara Stewart, 63, of El Cajon a short distance away.

Police dispatchers used the ALPR technology to find the stolen vehicle moving through the city, Stanley said. Real-time ALPR data enabled dispatchers to quickly identify the vehicle's direction of travel and notify surrounding agencies.

A short time later, the suspect and vehicle were found in Chula Vista by Chula Vista police. El Cajon Police Department officers responded to the scene and arrested James Dattolico, 41, of El Cajon, according to Stanley. The vehicle was recovered and returned to the owner.

"This invasive crime in progress was solved with two arrests in about three hours, highlighting the significant value of ALPR technology as a modern tool for fighting crime," Stanley said in a statement. "The coordinated use of the ALPR system by ECPD dispatchers was crucial in ensuring a quick and safe resolution to this case."

Dattolico was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary, vehicle theft and possession of a stolen vehicle. Stewart was booked into the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee on suspicion of first-degree burglary.