Merced County man caught stealing clothes, police say. He had a lot more at home

A man suspected in a "rash of burglaries" in Livingston was arrested this week, police said Thursday.

The most recent burglary was reported on Feb. 20, when the Novedades store owner said $2,900 in clothing had been stolen. The alarm at the store in the 400 block of Main Street went off about 12:15 a.m., police said.

The burglary was caught on newly installed surveillance cameras, police said, and officers identified the suspect as 54-year-old Arturo Perez Quiroz of Livingston. Police said they were familiar with the man.

Officers spoke with Quiroz on Tuesday and then searched his home on Wednesday, when police said they found stolen property from True Value and Infinity Hair Salon. Also in the home was property from a home burglarized in the 1200 block of B Street, police said.

Quiroz was booked into Merced County Jail on suspicion of commercial burglary and possession of stolen property, according to police. He remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 bail, according to jail records.

Police continue to look into the burglaries because another suspect was involved, according to officers. Detective Jason Barkus has some "good leads," according to a news release.

Livingston saw an 18 percent decrease in burglaries and 19 percent decrease in larcenies in 2017 compared to the previous year, according to police.

The department asks that anyone with any information on the burglaries to contact Detective Jason Barkus at 209-394-7916. You can also call the Merced Area Crime Stoppers line at 1-855-725-2420, and those calls are confidential and rewards are up to $1,000 for information.

This story was originally published March 1, 2018 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Merced County man caught stealing clothes, police say. He had a lot more at home."