Man is accused of using Instagram photos to burglarize college sorority members in Fullerton and Orange

A Riverside County man used photographs posted to Instagram to locate victims to burglarize, targeting college sorority members at Cal State Fullerton and Chapman University, prosecutors said.

Arturo Galvan, 44, of Menifee appeared in court Tuesday facing 33 felony counts of burglary, said Roxi Fyad, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney’s office.

He is also charged with a felony count of attempted burglary, as well as resisting arrest and vandalism, both misdemeanors.

He was in custody on $1 million bail, Fyad said.

Using photos posted to Instagram accounts, Galvan allegedly combed through GPS data attached to the digital images and mapped them to pinpoint the location of victims, according to Fullerton Police Sgt. Kathryn Hamel.

Most of the students were members of sororities at Chapman University in Orange and Cal State Fullerton.

After identifying his victims, Galvan broke into their homes in late afternoon or evening when they were likely to be away, prosecutors said. In some instances, the victims were home during the burglaries, they said.

Galvan is accused of targeting 33 students between May 2014 and December 2015, mostly stealing women’s underwear, clothing, photographs, planners, electronic devices and jewelry.

On Dec. 3, a Fullerton police officer patrolling a neighborhood about 11 p.m. spotted Galvan as he looked through the window of a home, prosecutors said. He ran away but was arrested as he tried to enter a car.

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