Rash of Burglaries Slows After 2 Arrested

Two Northridge men charged with the attempted burglary of a San Fernando Valley liquor store may be part of a larger ring in which hundreds of thousands of dollars in cigarettes were being shipped out of state for black-market sale, authorities said Thursday.

Since the arrests of Kenneth Alexander, 37, and Tim Morris, 26, last weekend, a recent rash of burglaries of West Valley liquor and convenience stores has abated, said Los Angeles Police Detective Mitch Robins. About 70 stores had been hit in the last six weeks, as many as three a night, he said.

Robins also said that the Simi Valley, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica police departments have contacted him to see if the men might be connected to similar burglaries in which cigarettes appeared to be the target.

Alexander has been charged with two counts of attempted burglary, and Morris with one count of attempted burglary and one count of receiving stolen property, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Sue Lasicka.

The two were arrested early Saturday after a passerby saw them trying to break into a liquor store near the intersection of Devonshire Street and Reseda Boulevard, Robins said. Burglar’s tools, stolen batteries and a broken store lock found by police tied the men to at least one other attempted burglary, Robins and Lasicka said.