Full Notification

MEDIA RELEASE / COMMUNITY ALERT
CITY of SAN MATEO POLICE DEPARTMENT
200 Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA  94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
“Protect with Honor. Serve with Pride”
 
San Mateo Police arrests two subjects for vehicle tampering
 
In the past few weeks, the City of San Mateo has seen an increase in auto burglaries. The San Mateo Police Department has taken a pro-active approach with ongoing operations combining prevention and intervention tactics to combat this issue. Both uniformed and plain-clothed San Mateo Police Officers conducted surveillance and used other investigative techniques at various “hot spots” throughout the City of San Mateo to combat this crime trend and identify potential crime patterns and suspects. The San Mateo Police Department also sent out numerous community alerts advising our citizens to report any suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.

On 10-19-17, at approximately 2240 hours, The San Mateo Police Department received a report from an astute citizen, who saw two male subjects looking into vehicles and actually enter a vehicle in the 2700 block of Edison Street. Plain clothes officer were in the area conducting the above mentioned surveillance. The officers quickly located the subjects, who were identified as Dante Fontenot and Joshua Janakes. The subjects were positively identified by the witness.
 
This was an excellent example of our citizens and Police Department collaboratively working together to make our community safer and stronger. We encourage all community members to notify the police department if they notice any suspicious activity.
 
This is an on-going investigation and we are in the process of determining in these two individuals arrested are responsible for, or associated with, any other crimes or burglaries committed in the City of San Mateo.
 
Both subjects were arrested for the following charges:
 

1. 182 (A) (1)  PC– Conspiracy to commit a crime
2. 10852 CVC- Vehicle tampering
3. 466 PC- Possession of burglary tools

 
ARRESTED:
 
Fontenot, Dante – 20 years old – San Mateo resident
Janakes, Joshua – 20 years old – San Mateo resident
 
 
BOOKING PHOTOS:
SMPD does not have available booking photos – for booking photos, please contact the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office at [email protected]  For follow-up questions regarding this incident after the suspect’s arraignment, please contact the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
 
MEDIA CONTACT FOR THIS CASE:   
Sergeant Al Baccei - [email protected]
Voicemail- 650-522-7629
 
MESSAGE TO OUR COMMUNITY:
You can help by…
Take preventative measures
          Don’t leave valuables in plain view
          Lock your doors
          Be aware of your surroundings
          Report suspicious persons
 
What to look for…
Suspicious Activity
          Vehicles backed into a parking stall with the driver still in the vehicle
          Persons walking up and down aisles
          Persons looking into vehicles and/or checking door handles for unlocked
          Vehicles
          Vehicles roaming the parking lot with no apparent purpose
 
If you’re a victim or witness…
Reporting suspicious activity
Dispatchers will ask what the person is wearing, direction of travel, associated vehicle and license plate number, and what the suspicious behavior is.
 
Reporting an auto burglary or theft
          Call SMPD as soon as it is discovered
          Don’t touch or adjust anything in, on or around your vehicle
 
By following the simple steps above, together, we can deter these crimes affecting our cities! For more information on Crime Prevention and Safety Tips, visit the City of San Mateo Police page http://www.cityofsanmateo.org/1630/Crime-Prevention-Safety-Tips
 
SMPD Dispatch Non-Emergency Number 650-522-7700
Follow SMPD on Twitter! www.twitter.com/sanmateopd
Subscribe to localized community alerts from SMPD, right to you mobile and/or email www.nixle.com