Crime & Safety

Man Pleads Not Guilty to San Mateo Daytime Burglaries

Jorge Mendoza allegedly left a button on the windowsill of one of the homes he burglarized.

A 21-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to committing two daytime residential burglaries in San Mateo last month.

Jorge Alberto Mendoza pleaded not guilty Friday in connection with the Dec. 6, 2011, burglaries on Hurlingham and Poplar avenues, and a jury trial date was set for March 5.

Mendoza allegedly left a button on the windowsill of the home he first burglarized, and a shoe print in the driveway, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

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An audible alarm summoned police to the home on Hurlingham Avenue, and Mendoza was detained a nearby.

Prosecutors say he had a Ricky Saunders baseball card stolen from the Poplar Avenue burglary, and a button matching the button found on the windowsill when he was caught.

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Police also discovered a shoe print in the driveway of one home matching Mendoza's footprint, and a palm print from the windowsill of the Hurlingham home where Mendoza had allegedly entered.

Mendoza also had bloody knuckles, consistent with a smashed window at the Poplar Avenue home.

He reportedly gave inconsistent stories to police, and was arrested. He remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 bail.


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