After a prolonged investigation and a series of trials, justice has been served to the ringleader of a notorious burglary crew that targeted homes in San Diego County. Gregory Shively, the 41-year-old orchestrator of these crimes, was sentenced on August 23rd, 2023 to 45 years and eight months in prison, marking a bitter end to a crime spree that lasted from January 2017 to February 2018 and involved over 38 homes and $500,000 worth of stolen valuables according to the District Attorney for the County of San Diego.
Shively's sentencing comes after a long series of trials and investigations. In 2021, Kenneth Ford, one of Shively's accomplices, was convicted of 13 criminal counts and sentenced to 11 years in state prison. In 2022, Aerick Splane and Jalen Johnson, two additional accomplices, were sentenced to 14 and 16 years in state prison, respectively, after pleading guilty to their crimes.
What perhaps made these burglaries stand out among the litany of similar crimes was their brutally efficient and coordinated execution. These gang members would repeatedly travel from Los Angeles to San Diego County, commit the burglaries, and return to their home turf with their loot in tow1. Beyond these organized logistics, the crew employed a calculated approach in their crimes.
The gang members displayed a chilling detachment as they pepper-sprayed dogs to avoid interference and used open phone lines to caution each other in case victims, witnesses, or the police appeared. In 10 of the 38 cases, victims were actually inside their homes during the burglaries. One home occupant was even threatened at gunpoint when the he inadvertently interrupted the crime in progress.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan acknowledged the trauma faced by the victims of the burglaries, describing how the perpetrators "stole the peace and safety that people are entitled to in their own homes." The case required extensive investigation and the sifting through of thousands of pieces of evidence including surveillance video, social media accounts, cellphone records, text messages, and jail calls before Deputy District Attorney James Koerber and Torrance Police Detective Sean O'Rourke could bring closure to the victims and their communities.
