The Willow Glen Resident

Witnesses spot man in act of burglarizing Salvation Army

Suspect fled, but was found by police in a yard-to-yard search

By Cecily Barnes

Before he had a chance to finish the job, police arrested a man charged with robbing the Salvation Army store in Willow Glen on Monday night, said Sgt. Louis Quezada, public information officer with the San Jose Police Department. Two local residents who heard the break-in and saw the suspect rummaging through the store ran to a gas station pay phone while the crime was in progress and notified the police, describing the suspect and his whereabouts.

"If it was not for the witnesses in this case, it is very unlikely that we would have been able to apprehend this suspect immediately," Quezada said. "It's community policing at its finest."

The crime occurred at 12:40 a.m. on Tuesday, June 23. Police received a radio broadcast that there was a burglar at the Salvation Army on Curtner and Lincoln avenues. Witnesses had seen a window smashed and a man ripping merchandise from the shelves. The window apparently had been shattered with a metal bicycle rack.

"When the suspect saw the police arriving, he ran out of the building with clothing," Quezada said. "We set a barrier around the perimeter of the area--from Curtner and Lincoln to Radio and Pasco--and during the course of a yard-to-yard search, one of our officers located him hiding in the 1100 block of Pasco, on the porch of a residence. The officer drew his service weapon and ordered the suspect to lie in the driveway with his hands in view."

After being positively identified by the two witnesses as the man who had been inside the store, 34-year-old Don Lamar Williams was booked into the Santa Clara County jail. The next day, neighbors in the four-block area found pieces of clothing scattered in their yards, Quezada said.

"This is an excellent example of how neighbors come forward and become excellent witnesses for us," Quezada said.

The day after the incident, a large board acted as a makeshift window at the Salvation Army store. The back room, displaying shelves of books for sale, was roped off because of broken glass.

"Nothing real big was taken--no big furniture or electronic items," said Salvation Army administrative secretary Bobbe Bishop. "Some clothes might have been taken, but we don't inventory clothes. At this point, the broken window was the only damage."

The window had been broken once before during an earlier burglary.

"This does happen, and it has happened at this store before," Bishop said.

Another employee who refused to give his name for fear of repercussions was very upset about the break-in. "You feel violated. I mean, it's not your home, but it's kind of like your home," he said.

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