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Police Say Serial Burglar Caught In The Act On South Coast; Detectives Link Him To 10 Break-Ins

Police say an alert business owner helped catch a serial burglar on the South Coast. Santa Barbara Police say the region was hit by a string of commercial burglaries during the last two months. Detectives suspected a convicted burglar just released from prison was responsible.

Early on the morning of May 22nd, a business owner called 911 to report his alarm system had been triggered. Thanks to a remote video camera, he could see a burglar inside the business.

Officers surrounded the Milpas Street building, and arrested Brian Christopher Schotz without incident. Detectives say they’ve linked the 44 year old man to ten recent commercial burglaries in Santa Barbara.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.