Full Notification

On June 22, 2010 at approximately 1:50 pm, a witness driving by Zuma Beach in the city of Malibu saw a male leaning into a vehicle’s rear passenger smashed window and noticed shattered glass all over the ground. The witness then saw the male suspect take an orange backpack from the vehicle and run into the passenger side of another vehicle before it sped away north on Pacific Coast Hwy. The witness was able to obtain a very good description of the suspect, a good description of the suspect’s vehicle and a partial license plate from the suspect’s vehicle. When deputies arrived, they took a detailed report surrounding the circumstances of the vehicle burglary and contacted the victim for further information regarding her stolen property.

Detectives conducted a thorough investigation and were able to identify the vehicle and the registered owner of the vehicle. The owner of the vehicle was contacted and was able to give detectives further information regarding the suspect and areas the suspect frequented.

On August 18, 2010, detectives were conducting a surveillance of the area the suspect was known to frequent. They saw a male that matched the unique description of the suspect and detained him.

Detectives detained David Michael Weinhardt Jr. a resident of the city of Santa Paula. Suspect Weinhardt admitted to the vehicle burglary committed on June 22, 2010 and advised that he had committed several vehicle burglaries in the city of Malibu area over the course of several months. Detectives are continuing to investigate the vehicle burglary series.

Suspect Weinhardt was booked at Malibu/Lost Hills Station for felony burglary and was subsequently released on bond.