Storage theft victims thankful for arrest
Victims of a storage unit burglar may be getting some of their belongings back sooner rather than later. An arrest was made in the case of storage burglaries at “I-Storage” near Desert Hot Springs, and victims reacted to the good news. “God bless everyone, the Palm Desert Sheriff’s department,” said James Marmor.
Authorities arrested 50-year-old Bradley Frumento as a suspect in the months-long case. Marmor, whom KESQ and CBS Local 2 reported on in June, had over $7,500 worth of items stolen from his self-storage unit at “I-Storage”, near 2 Bunch Palms Trail and Little Morongo Road. He was thankful for the arrest, as well as to the people who shined the spotlight on the situation. “I mean I only reached out to (KESQ/CBS Local 2), and (KESQ/CBS Local 2) have done such a great job of bringing light to the subject and raising awareness and consciousness and again, I am so thankful.”
Therese Williams is another victim who had her motor home broken into at “I-Storage” back in June. She also felt a sense of relief after hearing about the arrest. “I can’t express the joy I felt I got, it was just unbelievable that they actually caught him.”
Victims can now start to recover stolen items. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has started contacting victims, but others can contact the sheriff’s office and have a file or incident number on hand. Marmor hadn’t received a call as of Friday, but is in no rush. “I know they’re busy. I’m not worried about it. I thought that I would’ve been the first persons they would’ve called. From what I’m understanding, there’s a dozen robberies that have happened.”
The sheriff’s office wanted to remind victims that recovering items takes time, but the department is on top of it. “Be patient, have that file number ready,” said Deputy Armando Munoz. He added, “you can take the iniative and contact your local police department if you know of any property that was recovered and let them know that you’re a victim.”
There are no special locks on the market to try and avoid self-storage theft. All locks can be cut by bolt cutters or similar methods, but individuals can protect themselves by finding a storage facility that has 24-hour surveillance and individual alarms on every unit.
