PHOENIX — A young woman is facing more burglary charges after her cell phone data was connected to many of the "dinnertime burglaries" under investigation throughout the Valley over the last few months.
Sue Ellen Gutierrez Saez, 20, was arrested last month by Phoenix police for her alleged involvement in an international theft ring that was targeting Valley homes.
Court records show Phoenix police have been tracking up to 130 residential burglaries that follow a similar pattern: a group of burglars use desert washes and trails to gain access to an expensive home near a golf course, they ransack the master bedroom, then meet up with a getaway driver.
Gutierrez is facing several more felony charges after her cell phone data connected her to seven additional burglaries dating back to January in Mesa, Phoenix and Chandler.
Records show Gutierrez's phone was in the area when the following thefts occurred:
- Two safes containing $225,000 in jewelry and cash stolen on Jan. 27
- Several pieces of jewelry stolen on Feb. 3
- $60,000 in jewelry and $46,000 in cash stolen on Feb. 4
- Designer purses and jewelry stolen on Feb. 8
- $10,000 in jewelry stolen on Feb. 11
Gutierrez and two other suspects were apprehended on Feb. 16, at which time police seized her cell phone and began scanning through its geographical data.
Gutierrez's phone was at the locations of burglaries a few days before the thefts occurred, suggesting the suspects were casing the neighborhoods to see how accessible the homes would be.
"Burglary suspects often conduct surveillance on the location of their victims prior to committing the burglaries to determine the activities and habits of the residents," Phoenix investigators wrote in a report.
Gutierrez is being held on a $200,000 cash-only bond.
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