Alleged serial "cat" burglar Teddy Kaiser Hartwell is expected to stand trial after a Riverside County Superior Court judge ruled there is substantial evidence against him.
Hartwell faces seven felony counts, including six felony charges and one count of receiving stolen property. Although initially dropped, his charges were immediately refiled on Jan. 3, according to NBC Palm Springs. It is uncertain why the charges needed to be filed again; however, Judge James Stafford Hawkins found no shortage of evidence for a trial.
According to an incident report issued by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, Hartwell is linked to 15 burglaries in Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage that took place between March and May of 2021.
A search of Hartwell’s vehicle and his residence revealed multiple items of stolen property, Sgt. Christopher Ternes said in the report. Palm Desert Station Burglary Suppression Unit (BSU) members linked Hartwell to 12 other residential “cat” burglaries and two residential burglaries that occurred in the cities of Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage since March 30, 2021. Hartwell allegedly committed these burglaries while the victims were at home, leading Ternes to point out the inherent risks.
“Cat burglaries garner a heightened level of concern from the law enforcement community because of the elevated risk for the victims,” Ternes said in his report. “The potential for a dangerous encounter between the homeowner/victim and the suspect is significantly higher in these types of crimes.”
It took an alert resident of Rancho Mirage, who noticed a man inside his home with a flashlight, to put an end to this crime wave, along with the work of authorities. Although the suspect ran out of the home and drove off in an unknown vehicle, he later was found on the 300 block of North Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, Ternes said, adding that Hartwell was arrested at 11:42 p.m. on April 29, 2021.
Deputies from the Palm Desert Sheriff's Station played a key role, responding to the home and then identifying Hartwell as the suspect. But then BSU assumed the burglary investigation, which reached far beyond this particular home.
According to NBC Palm Springs, Hartwell is scheduled for a post-preliminary hearing arraignment Feb. 1 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.