Felony charges filed against suspected Coachella Valley serial burglar

A dozen felony charges were filed today against a suspected serial burglar accused of perpetrating residential break-ins scattered across two Coachella Valley cities.

Teddy Kaiser Hartwell of Palm Springs, who was arrested last Friday, is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon on 12 counts of burglary.

The 35-year-old felon is being held at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Hartwell was taken into custody hours after deputies responded to a burglary call last Thursday night in the 40 block of Via Las Flores in Rancho Mirage, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Sgt. Christopher Ternes said the resident told deputies that while he was in his kitchen, he noticed a man inside his home with a flashlight, prompting him to call 911. The burglar then fled the home, hopped into a
vehicle and sped away.

Deputies spotted the suspect's vehicle about six miles away in the 300 block of North Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs and made a traffic stop.

"Multiple items of stolen property were located during the search of Hartwell's vehicle and his residence," Ternes alleged.

Investigators said they were subsequently able to link Hartwell to a dozen other residential cat burglaries and two residential burglaries that occurred in the cities of Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage since March 30.

The defendant is accused of targeting homes in Palm Desert located on Oakmont Drive, Augusta Drive, Amid Drive, Woodhaven Drive and Marrakesh Drive.

In Rancho Mirage, Hartwell is additionally accused in burglaries at homes on Via Haciendas, Seville Court and Porto Cielo Court, according to court papers.

Hartwell has prior felony convictions, including burglary and robbery, according to court records.