A Northern California construction worker is accused of targeting homes in wine country, stealing jewelry and other valuables and then reselling the items, as investigators examine a series of bold residential burglaries reported over an extended period.
David Alejandro Gomez Sanchez allegedly entered homes in Napa and Pleasant Hill through unlocked doors and windows, taking “expensive handbags, jewelry and jewelry boxes” before pawning the stolen property, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities are now appealing to the public for information about additional break-ins, saying the 44-year-old Napa resident may be connected to thefts from area homes dating as far back as 2024.
“Napa County Sheriff’s Office (NSO) detectives noticed a pattern in four recent residential burglaries occurring in the Hagen Road area of Napa. The victims stated their jewelry had been stolen from their homes but with no evidence of a forced entry,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Local officials said the suspect, who lives in Napa, works in construction and has performed jobs at “multiple homes” in the area.
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Sheriffs found stolen jewelry inside Gomez’s truck and said he admitted to participating in the burglaries upon his arrest on Aug. 21.
Photos shared on social media by law enforcement show a collection of earrings, necklaces, watches, designer handbags and jewelry boxes that were recovered.
The suspect was busted after a failed entry into a home on Hillcrest drive, according to authorities.
Gomez remainsedheld at Napa County jail as of Monday, according to the Napa Valley Register.
He pleaded not guilty to 12 felony charges connected to the alleged burglaries.