Police: West Chester Twp. burglary wasn’t crew’s only one planned

Pictured is the outside of the Butler County Jail on Hanover Street in Hamilton, Ohio. MICHAEL D. PITMAN/STAFF

Credit: Michael D. Pitman

Credit: Michael D. Pitman

Pictured is the outside of the Butler County Jail on Hanover Street in Hamilton, Ohio. MICHAEL D. PITMAN/STAFF
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Four people have been charged with an August home burglary in West Chester Twp., but police say it wasn’t the first one the crew allegedly burglarized.

And it wasn’t expected to be their last, according to court records.

Norma Bautista Garcia, 46, of Springdale, Jose Garcia-Salas, 46, of Orlando, Fla., Osvaldo Rodriguez, 40, of Springdale, and Manuel Gomez Giraldo, 42, of Haines City, Fla., were arrested in August related to the Aug. 7 Lawrence Road burglary.

Their cases were bound over from Area III court to the grand jury all were indicted on additional charges. The indictments specify the charges are related to activities between July 31 and Aug. 12.

Norma Bautista Garcia, 46, of Springdale, is one of four people charged with multiple felonies related to an Aug. 7 home burglary in West Chester Twp. Police say the crew had burglarized homes and were planning future jobs, according to court records. PROVIDED

Credit: Provided

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Credit: Provided

Jose Garcia-Salas, 46, of Springdale, is one of four people charged with multiple felonies related to an Aug. 7 home burglary in West Chester Twp. Police say the crew had burglarized homes and were planning future jobs, according to court records. PROVIDED

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Credit: Provided

In total, the four face charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and two counts of complicity to burglary, all second-degree felonies. Bautista Garcia, Garcia-Salas and Rodriguez were also indicted with possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.

All four defendants are in the Butler County Jail and will be arraigned Wednesday morning in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

Security footage provided by the homeowner showed two people entering the home through the back sliding glass door just after 9 p.m., exiting the home a couple of minutes later through the front door.

“Both subjects were wearing face coverings and large hats along with gloves, t-shirts and jeans,” according to the court records. One carried an empty black backpack into the home but appeared to contain something when leaving. The other appeared to have carried something out, but what wasn’t clear on the video surveillance, according to records.

This burglary wasn’t the first one committed by the four, nor was it expected to be the last one, according to court records. During the investigation, police found a green ledger “containing the addresses that are targets for burglaries” inside a Toyota Rav4 operated by one of the defendants. The vehicle was connected to at least one other crime, according to court documents.

“Inside the ledger were the addresses marking houses that had been burglarized or were to be burglarized,” according to the documents.

The case is still an active investigation, according to West Chester Twp.

Osvaldo Rodriguez, 40, of Springdale, is one of four people charged with multiple felonies related to an Aug. 7 home burglary in West Chester Twp. Police say the crew had burglarized homes and were planning future jobs, according to court records. PROVIDED

Credit: Provided

icon to expand image

Credit: Provided

Manuel Gomez Giraldo, 42, of Haines City, Fla., is one of four people charged with multiple felonies related to an Aug. 7 home burglary in West Chester Twp. Police say the crew had burglarized homes and were planning future jobs, according to court records. PROVIDED

Credit: Provided

icon to expand image

Credit: Provided

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Michael D. Pitman has been a reporter in southwest Ohio since 1999. He's covered local governments in Warren and Butler counties, as well as state and national issues. He currently covers the cities of Fairfield and Hamilton.