An alert neighbor pointed police to a man seen walking out of a South Berkeley home with what appeared to be stolen goods Saturday, which ultimately led, after further investigation, to his arrest, according to authorities.
Berkeley Police Sgt. Andrew Frankel said an officer was responding to a “cold” burglary report at about 5:40 p.m. in the 2400 block of Curtis Street. The officer was told the burglary had happened earlier.
When he walked out of the home, not far from Channing Way, a community member flagged him down and told him he or she had just seen a man around the corner who had earlier come out of the burgled home with what appeared to be stolen property.
The officer stopped the man — 26-year-old Joseph Ford — and found him with stolen bicycles, tools and luggage tied to the Curtis Street case and another location, Frankel said.
Police arrested Ford, who is listed by police as transient, on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools and offering false identification to police.
He remains in custody at Berkeley Jail with a bail of $80,000 and is scheduled for arraignment Tuesday.
Frankel noted it was the second arrest Saturday where community members played a key role in helping police make an arrest. A short time earlier, two Oakland men who reportedly robbed a woman of her laptop at a Berkeley Starbucks were caught with the help of alert citizens.
“The theme of Saturday was ‘thank you, community,’” Frankel said. “Community policing is very effective when the community is involved.”
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