SMPD MEDIA AND COMMUNITY ALERT - SMPD Arrests Building Employee for Multiple Counts of Burglary of Senior Living Apartments
MEDIA RELEASE / COMMUNITY ALERT
FROM THE CITY of SAN MATEO POLICE DEPARTMENT
SMPD Arrests Building Employee for Multiple Counts of Burglary of Senior Living Apartments
On October 21st, 2014, at about 6:00PM, SMPD Officers responded to a senior living apartment facility on Crystal Springs Road. The investigating officers met with senior building management who indicated they had initiated an investigation into one of their own maintenance workers who they believed was taking property from some of their tenants. Their internal investigation revealed that maintenance worker, Eric Gamboa, a 37-year-old former resident of San Francisco had used a spare key to enter one of the apartments in the building and take personal property.
SMPD assumed responsibility for the investigation and ultimately determined that Gamboa was responsible for six separate burglaries inside the building whereby he used spare keys to access locked apartments while the tenants were out and took personal property including various items of jewelry, wristwatches, and cash. Gamboa was arrested by SMPD for six counts of felony burglary and elder abuse.
The City of San Mateo is home to a large number of senior care facilities and senior living homes. Thus, SMPD has zero tolerance for crimes committed against our senior citizens such as this one. This will be an extensive ongoing investigation and your Detectives will work tirelessly to identify any and all remaining victims in this case, making every possible effort to secure and return all personal property that was stolen. SMPD would like to stress that this arrest and what we trust will be an successful prosecution was made possible by the diligent and collaborative efforts of the building management and owners in this case. It is clear they take the safety and security of their building and its tenants very serious and for that we thank them.
The City of San Mateo and your Police Department strive to make our city an “aging friendly” community in accordance with the vision of the “Aging Well San Mateo” initiative and the outcome of this case is an example of our commitment to that goal.
Arrested:
Eric Gamboa (No Middle Name)
Age 37
Transient
Formerly of San Francisco
Booked for multiple felony counts 460 PC, 496 PC, 368 PC.
DO YOUR PART TO MAKE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS SAFER
As always, we count on our community members to be SMPD’s “extra eyes and ears.” Please report ANY suspicious activity to SMPD right away via 911, or 650-522-7700. For information related to any ongoing SMPD investigation, call the Detective Bureau at 650-522-7650. You may also contact us anonymously by voicemail 650-522-7676 or text message 650-262-3473.
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Please help us make your neighborhood safer and take a stand against crime. Please report all criminal behavior, join a neighborhood watch program, and help anyone that might fall victim to a crime. If a Neighborhood Watch doesn’t exist on your block, you can start one with help from SMPD. For additional information about the City of San Mateo Neighborhood Watch Program, call SMPD Community Services at (650)522-7626 or visit our web www.cityofsanmateo.org. For more tips on how to celebrate a safe and happy 4th of July, see your Community Blog at www.sanmateopd.org.
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Address/Location
San Mateo, CA Police Department
200 Franklin Pkwy
San Mateo, CA 94403
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 650-522-7700
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