Man Arrested After Prowling Middle School Rooftop

An early morning burglar alarm turned into a manhunt Friday morning.

Indio police responded to the call at Jefferson Middle School at 2:30am, where they found a man on the roof of the school.

Officers were able to set up a perimeter around the school, so he couldn’t get away, and were able to capture him a short time later.

Once he was in custody, they found several tools that could be used in a break-in. They also found that one of the school surveillance cameras had been taken apart.

In a search of his home, they found suspected stolen property, including several surveillance cameras, copper wiring, copper pipe, copper fittings, and a propane tank. All of them were seized as evidence, and indicate he may be involved in a series of break-ins in the area of Highway 111 and Jackson Street.

The suspect is identified as Lorenzo Valenzuela, and he has been booked in the Indio jail.