Rash of burglaries hits YC

A rich vein of gold was discovered in southwest Yuba City - and a burglar or team of burglars was busily mining it, authorities said.

Seven houses were hit, and one victim lost more than $10,000 worth of jewelry, Sutter County Undersheriff J. Paul Parker said Friday.

All the victims were East Indians. Most of the loot was gold jewelry - bracelets, earrings and bangles.

In all but one of the cases, burglars found an unlocked window or door during daylight hours when no one was home, he said.

Cash and electronics also were taken “if they were handy,” the undersheriff said.

The burglaries last month occurred on Jodi Drive, Ida Way, Countryside Drive and Josephene Way.

Parker said the crimes definitely qualify as a “rash” of burglaries - a cliché usually employed by newspaper headline writers.

While stopping short of saying East Indians were specifically being targeted, “I just find it unusual that we take seven burglary reports in a row and they’re all from East Indians,” he said.

Yuba City police are investigating a similar case. Details were not immediately available.

The “rash” suddenly cleared up when the owner of one of the seven homes went home for lunch and heard sounds upstairs. A burglar came bounding down the stairs, locked eyes with the woman and said, “Oh, (expletive),” before running out the front door, said Parker.

The woman described the burglar as 25 to 30 years old, muscular and about 5 feet, 6 inches tall or a bit taller. He was wearing a black shirt and blue shorts.

A different man was seen earlier “cruising aimlessly” through the same neighborhood in a late model, dark blue Chevy Tahoe that may or may not be connected to the burglaries, said Parker.

No more similar burglaries have been reported since then, he said.

The Sheriff’s Department is investigating a separate spate of burglaries in the Encinal Road area south of Live Oak, where a half-dozen houses in isolated areas were burglarized in July. Patrols have been stepped up in the area, said Parker.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Rob Young can be reached at 749-4710. You may e-mail him at ryoung@appealdemocrat.com.