Man arrested for committing burglaries and thefts in O.C. and other counties

SANTA ANA, Ca. (April 15, 2022): Orange County Sheriff’s investigators have arrested a 58-year-old man wanted for committing multiple burglaries, thefts and identity theft across four counties in Southern California.

Douglas Allen Schlichting, 58, was arrested on April 13, 2022 outside his home in the 300 block of Plaza Serena in the city of Ontario.

Schlichting was identified as the suspect in multiple crimes committed between January 2022 and March 2022 in Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita and Yorba Linda. In these cases, he is suspected of stealing victims’ personal items, including credit cards that were fraudulently used to purchase items such as jewelry, home goods and gift cards.

Schlichting also is suspected of committing similar crimes in other cities in Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties.

Cases in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department jurisdiction are as follows:

Lake Forest

· At approximately 2:30 p.m. on March 26, 2022, a 55-year-old man living in the 26000 block of Vista Terrace in Lake Forest reported his wallet was stolen from his vehicle and his credit card was later charged multiple times. The reported loss was $4,000, which included cash and $848 in fraudulent credit card purchases.

Mission Viejo

· At 10:50 a.m. on March 20, 2022, employees at Presbyterian Church of the Master located at Oso and Marguerite parkways reported personal items of four employees had been stolen. The victims lost $540 in cash and there was another $1,725 in fraudulent purchases charged to the victims’ credit cards.

· At approximately 10:45 a.m. on March 27, 2022, a 55-year-old woman reported fraudulent activity on her credit card totaling $517.77. She reported the crime at Mission Viejo Police Services and told investigators she did not know where or when her credit card was stolen.

Rancho Santa Margarita

· At approximately 10:30 a.m. on January 20, 2022, a manager at Pet Supply in the 22000 block of El Paseo reported a man entered the employee locker area and stole cash and personal items valued at $1,000.

Yorba Linda

· At 11:50 a.m. on January 11, 2022, a 71-year-old woman reported that on January 10, 2022 her credit card and $1,000 in cash had been stolen from her purse at St. Martin de Porres Church in the 19000 block of Yorba Linda Boulevard. Her credit card had been fraudulently charged $808.

· At nearly 3 p.m. on February 1, 2022, a 57-year-old woman reported that on January 22, 2022 at the Pope John Paul II Polish Center in the 3900 block of Rose Drive a man stole $1,100 in cash and two credit cards from her purse. Her credit cards were later charged $3,128 in fraudulent purchases.

The investigation is ongoing and investigators believe there may be additional cases involving Schlichting. Anyone who can provide additional information can call OC Sheriff Dispatch at 714-647-7000 or anonymous tips can be sent to OC Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or at occrimestoppers.org.

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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