LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is investigating the burglary of the city’s Public Works office as well as attempted break-ins at nearby county and health care facilities, and a local business.
On Monday morning, Lakeport Public Works Director Mark Brannigan arrived at his office, located at the city’s corporation yard on Martin Street, to find the window to his office broken, his computer gone and items strewn around the yard and the nearby field.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said his agency were notified by Brannigan shortly before 8 a.m. Monday about the break-in at Public Works.
“It turned out to be a pretty extensive burglary to their facility,” said Rasmussen.
The main office building had been broken into, as well as other facilities including an equipment shop, he said.
Brannigan, who said he initially was “dazed” by the burglary, said he was impressed with the investigation, with police setting up a command post at the yard and methodically piecing the evidence together, which they then cataloged.
Rasmussen said the most extensive damage was to the main Public Works office facility.
“We’re still analyzing and trying to audit all of the items that were taken,” Rasmussen said.
He estimated damage to the offices and the cost of the items taken totaled about $7,500.
As to finding out who is responsible, “We’ve recovered items of evidence and developed several leads as far as identifying a possible suspect,” Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said his officers are investigating the connection between the burglary at Public Works and a call they had received several hours before, at 3:45 a.m. Monday, regarding an alarm sounding at Lake County Public Health on Bevins Court.
An officer went inside the gated facility to do a check for the alarm and located a window that had been forced open. However, Rasmussen said it didn’t appear that a suspect had made entry to the facility. He said the officer did an area check but couldn’t find a suspect.
On Tuesday, Rasmussen said he also had been notified that the Tribal Health building on Bevins had been burglarized over the weekend. He said that incident still is being investigated.
Last week a window was broken out at a Park Street business, with a suspect attempting to gain entry, Rasmussen said. He said that break-in was not successful.
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