License Plate Reader Cameras Lead to Firearm and ATM Burglaries Arrest
MONTEREY, CA — “On February 21, 2025, at 3:47 a.m., Monterey Police Officers were dispatched to a burglary at a laundromat in the 2300 block of North Fremont Street. Surveillance cameras in the area showed the suspect driving a van up to the business and then throwing a heavy object through a glass window. The suspect entered the business and removed an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) machine, loading it into the van. The suspect fled and was not apprehended.
On February 22, 2025, at 7:50 a.m., a pedestrian walking at Asilomar Beach in Pacific Grove located the stolen ATM. The ATM was cut and pried open and the money had been removed.
On February 24, 2025, at 4:13 a.m., Pacific Grove Police Officers were dispatched to a burglary at a laundromat in the 1100 block of Forest Avenue in Pacific Grove. Surveillance video showed a suspect park a van at the rear of the business, and it appeared to be the same van associated to the ATM burglary in Monterey. The suspect threw a heavy object through a glass door and entered the business. The suspect went to an ATM and attempted to remove it, but it was bolted down and then attempted to pry it open, but was unsuccessful. The suspect fled and was not apprehended.
Pacific Grove Officers were able to identify the van used in the burglary on Forest Avenue in Pacific Grove utilizing Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras. Monterey Police Detectives identified it as the same van used in the North Fremont burglary by comparing unique vehicle characteristics.
On February 26, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., Monterey Police Detectives, with assistance from Pacific Grove PD and Seaside PD Detectives, served a search warrant in the 1800 block of Luzern Street in Seaside. Officers detained Sage Keller, 23 years old of Seaside, and Julia Spears, 26 years old of Pebble Beach. The search yielded numerous items of evidence related to both the Monterey and Pacific Grove burglaries. Officers also recovered an assault rifle with a loaded high capacity magazine and narcotics.
Keller was arrested on charges of 459 PC – Burglary, 466 PC – Possession of burglary tools, 29800(a)(1) PC – Felon in possession of a firearm, 30305(a)(1) PC – Felon in possession of ammunition, 30605(a) PC – Possession of an Assault Rifle, 3455(a) PC – Post Release Community Supervision Violation, 11350(a) HS- Possession of controlled substance, and 32310(a) PC – Possession of a large capacity magazine. Keller was previously convicted of burglarizing the same Pacific Grove laundromat in 2021. Keller was booked into Monterey County Jail and held without bail.
Spears was arrested on charges of 30605(a) PC – Possession of an Assault Rifle, 32310(a) PC – Possession of a large capacity magazine and 12022.1(b) PC – Commit Felony while out on Bail. Spears is currently out on bail for an arrest related to the burglary of a business in Pebble Beach on November 8, 2024 where a rear door was broken and an ATM was vandalized. Spears’s bail was set at $40,000.”
