CLEARLAKE KEYS – The Lake County Sheriff's Office on Monday offered more details about a series of vehicle break-ins and vandalisms that occurred in late January and early February in the Clearlake Keys areas.

As Lake County News has reported, break-ins at the Keys Club storage lot damaged numerous vehicles.

Chief Deputy Jim Bauman said sheriff's deputies responded to the Keys Club storage lot on Jan. 29 to investigate a burglary to a travel trailer being stored there.

The suspects had smashed out a window and gotten into the trailer, said Bauman. Once inside, the suspects discharged a fire extinguisher throughout the interior, causing damage estimated at about $1,000.

While at the storage lot, the investigating deputy discovered several other RVs and travel trailers that had either been broken into or vandalized some time during the previous several days, said Bauman.

The deputy identified a total of six additional travel trailers or RVs in the area had been broken into by way of smashed door windows, Bauman reported. All of the trailers or RVs had been ransacked inside and most of the owners were not immediately available to provide a monetary estimate for the damages.

Several days later, on Feb. 2, the sheriff's office received two other reports of either vandalism or burglary at the lot, according to Bauman. The suspects had broken into one travel trailer by smashing out a door window. They ransacked the interior, the bed had been slept in and a TV and DVD player were stolen. Estimated damage/loss for this trailer was more than $400.

Later on Feb. 2, another burglary was reported to two other trailers belonging to the same victim, said Bauman. Both trailers had been broken into by forcibly prying their way in and some automotive parts were stolen from one of the trailers. The stolen property was valued at over $400.

Bauman said all the vandalisms or burglaries are believed to be related.

A flier is being circulated in the community stating that about $38,000 in damages resulted from the break-ins, but Bauman said a final damage amount has not been determined.

Since the series of break-ins occurred, Bauman said the sheriff's Community Recovery Task Force has exercised zero tolerance for curfew violators and they have stepped up their patrols in Clearlake Oaks, frequently conducting random searches on probationers known to live in the area.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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