The string of open house burglaries that rattled the neighborhoods of Marin County has come to a close with the arrest of a suspect known to have a track record in similar crimes across California. Joshua Lamont, identified by the Marin County Sheriff's Office Investigations Division, was apprehended in Walnut Creek and is facing charges for his alleged involvement in the burglaries that saw thousands of dollars worth of jewelry stolen from homes up for sale.
Lamont's method of operation was consistent, posing as a fellow realtor or interested buyer at open houses. In one instance, during October in the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood, he allegedly made off with $15,000 in jewelry under the guise of a self-guided tour. Following this incident, about three weeks later, the suspect attended another open house in the Kent Woodlands area and reportedly continued his felonious activity by stealing jewelry and checks valued at around $10,000, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office.
The investigation led detectives to a hotel in Walnut Creek where Lamont was staying. He was arrested yesterday, and upon searching his hotel room, authorities found evidence linking him to the Kent Woodlands burglary, along with a variety of pawn shop receipts from around the Bay Area. Efforts are underway to recover the stolen items, and investigators are contacting pawn shops as part of the investigation.
Lamont is currently held at the Marin County Jail, with his bail set at $250,000 for the burglaries in Marin. In addition, he has outstanding warrants for similar offenses in San Diego and Santa Barbara Counties, bringing his total bail to $400,000. The evidence gathered from the hotel room tied him to the recent thefts and supported the probable cause for these prior warrants, indicating that Lamont might have been involved in a wider network of residential burglaries.
