CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Police officers have taken the caretaker of a storage unit business into custody in connection with recent burglaries of storage units.

Nick Hoskins, 45, was arrested on Monday following the service of search warrants at B&K Storage, located at 6925 Old Highway 53, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph.

Also arrested for drug possession at the time of the search warrant service was 34-year-old Andrew Levine, Joseph said.

Joseph explained that over the last several months, the Clearlake Police Department has taken several reports of burglaries of B&K Storage units. However, there were no leads to follow up on and the cases had remained unsolved.

Then, during the week of Aug. 26, Clearlake Police officers obtained information that linked Hoskins, the storage facility’s residential caretaker, to at least one of the storage facility’s recent burglaries, Joseph said.

With this information, Clearlake Police detectives obtained a search warrant to search Hoskins’ residence at B&K Storage and “The Thrift Store,” located at 7050 Old Highway 53, which also is owned and operated by Hoskins, according to Joseph.

Joseph said officers believed that The Thrift Store was being used as a fencing operation to sell stolen property from the storage facility.

At 12:30 p.m. Monday Clearlake Police officers and detectives served search warrants at the storage facility and the thrift shop. Joseph said two separate teams of officers were used to serve the warrant simultaneously.

While serving the warrant at B&K Storage, officers contacted Andrew Levine just outside Hoskins’ residence, Joseph said.

Levine initially reached into his pockets as officers approached and refused to follow orders. Joseph said officers detained Levine and he was found to have suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia on him. Levine subsequently was arrested.

Joseph said officers then contacted Hoskins, who refused to come to the door and let officers inside. As a result, officers had to force entry into the residence.

Officers immediately located drug paraphernalia in Hoskins’ residence and he was arrested, Joseph said.

During service of the warrant, stolen property from one of the storage burglaries was located throughout Hoskins' residence as well as suspected methamphetamine, according to Joseph.

A .22-caliber rifle also was found in Hoskins’ residence and an illegal “blow gun” and blow gun ammunition. Joseph said Hoskins is a prior convicted felon and may not possess firearms, and Hoskins additionally was charged with these violations.

While officers were at Hoskins’ residence, another team of officers served the warrant at The Thrift Store. Joseph said officers located additional stolen property from the same storage facility burglary for sale in the thrift shop.

He said officers then located additional stolen property from a separate B&K Storage facility burglary, which had already been reported to the Clearlake Police Department in June. All of the identified stolen property was recovered by detectives.

Due to unsafe conditions found inside The Thrift Store during the service of the search warrant, the Lake County Fire Protection District fire marshal arrived and closed the business due to fire safety concerns, Joseph said.

Based on the fact that at least two storage facility burglaries are now linked to Hoskins, Joseph said Hoskins additionally was charged with two counts of burglary. Both he and Levine later were booked into the Lake County Jail.

Joseph said detectives now are working to try and link Hoskins to other storage facility burglaries.

Not all property that was reported stolen has been located, and Joseph said the whereabouts of the other stolen property isn't yet known. He said some of it may have been moved to other locations or sold to unsuspecting customers.

Anyone with information on these burglaries at B&K Storage is asked to contact Det. Ryan Peterson at 707-994-8251, Extension 320. Callers may remain anonymous.