Arizona Crackdown On Foreclosure Stripping Continues As Homeowner Indicted On Charges Of Defrauding A Secure Creditor, Criminal Damage

In Surprise, Arizona, The Arizona Republic reports:

• A Surprise resident suspected of stripping his foreclosed home of fixtures and other equipment was arrested Tuesday for a common crime that has been ignored too long, Surprise officials said. In late February, a neighbor called police to report that Roberto Javier Garcia, 34, was removing fixtures from his home [...] said Sgt. Mark Ortega, a Surprise police spokesman. [...] Due to the complicated nature of foreclosure-related crimes, police were unable to [immediately] arrest him, Ortega said.

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• In the months before the arrest, detectives tracked the status of the home in the hopes they could pursue criminal charges against Garcia. Investigators later submitted the case to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. A grand jury indicted Garcia on charges of criminal damage and defrauding a secure creditor, giving police probable cause to arrest the former Surprise resident [...] on Tuesday.(1)

For the story, see Police: Surprise man stripped his foreclosed home.

Go here for other posts on foreclosure fixture stripping.

(1) According to the story, Surprise city manager Randy Oliver noted that the arrest was an attempt to deter those who believe stripping a foreclosed home is a civil offense. "We made the decision to pursue this because we want people to stop," Surprise Police Chief Dan Hughes said. "Too many people think that this (type of offense) is civil. It's not. It's a crime." foreclosure fixture stripping apple