Del Rey Oaks burglary suspect arrested at condos on Christmas Eve

DEL REY OAKS, Calif. (KION) A burglary suspect was arrested after Del Rey Oaks police responded to a report of someone driving a stolen golf cart in the Oaks Condominiums on Christmas Eve.

Police were called to the condos, which have experienced burglaries over the past few months. Nearby storage units have also experienced burglaries.

When they arrived, police found Jon Lawson driving away in what they said was a golf cart belonging to the Condominium Association. Lawson- who has several felony convictions for burglary, receiving stolen property and possession of drugs for sales- was stopped in the Saf Keep Storage Facility. Officers tried to ask him questions, but police said Lawson ran off in handcuffs. He was found a few minutes later, arrested and booked into the Monterey County Jail.

Police later served a search warrant at Lawson's storage unit, and officers said they found stolen property that included: construction equipment, computer equipment, landscaping equipment, coin collections, stamp collections and other collectible items.

Police have been able to find the owners of some of the stolen property, but are still working to identify the owners of other items. The property is believed to be worth tens of thousands of dollars and appears to be stolen from Monterey Peninsula residents.