Fremont Police Department School Resource Officers (SRO) arrested a suspect responsible for multiple school campus burglaries across the Bay Area.
On Oct. 3, a Fremont elementary school reported a suspicious man on campus. When confronted by staff he gave conflicting information on why he was on the campus and left shortly after being confronted. Following the incident, SROs began to receive reports of missing property from classrooms in multiple school districts across the Bay Area.
After coordinating investigations, Fremont Police were able to identify the suspect as Christopher Britton of Fairfield. Britton already had a record with multiple law enforcement agencies for similar incidents on school campuses in Solano, Contra Costa, Marin, Alameda and Yolo Counties.
On Nov. 3, while doing a follow-up investigation in Walnut Creek, a Fremont officer spotted Britton at a car rental location returning a car that is believed to have been used in a previous burglary.
In partnership with Walnut Creek Police, Britton was approached and arrested after he attempted to flee the area.
Investigators determined that Britton would target school campuses to look for teachers’ credit cards and make fraudulent purchases at various retail stores.
“Our educators come to work each day to teach and support our children—they should never have to worry about being targeted by criminals,” said Fremont Police SRO Sergeant Richard Hamblin in a Fremont Police Department press release. “The dedication of our SROs and their collaboration with neighboring agencies made this arrest possible, helping ensure the safety of our schools and staff.”
Anyone with information regarding this suspect’s involvement in similar incidents in Fremont, please contact the Fremont Police Department’s Investigations Unit at 510.790.6900.
