Two ex-cons arrested in dozens of burglaries

02/04/05
by Eric Swedlund

Police arrested two ex-convicts, one suspected in 29 residential burglaries and the other man tied to two break-ins, after stopping them in a stolen car Wednesday afternoon.

South Side patrol officers noticed a car that was stolen in a Jan. 30 burglary and stopped the vehicle. Burglary tools and evidence of other burglaries were found inside the car, and officers detained the men and notified property-crime detectives, said Officer Kathy Anderson, a Tucson Police Department spokeswoman.

Through the department's COPLINK computer program, the men were linked to numerous residential burglaries throughout the city, dating to 2002, Anderson said. COPLINK, a Tucson-developed computer program, links information from disparate databases and allows officers with only partial information to successfully search for suspects.

Joseph Stokan, 36, was arrested on 29 counts of burglary and one count each of possession of burglary tools, auto theft, possession of a dangerous drug and possession of a narcotic drug. He is jailed on $75,000 bond.

Jerry Mejia, 40, was arrested on two counts of burglary and one count each of possession of burglary tools and auto theft. He is jailed on $50,000 bond.

Police aren't certain whether Mejia and Stokan were involved in any of the same burglaries.

Detectives linked the men to the burglaries through information received from interviewing them, evidence retrieved and other investigative means, Anderson said.

The burglars took a variety of items from houses, which were spread across the city. Detectives have contacted other area agencies about unsolved burglaries, and there could be more charges, Anderson said.

All the recovered property has been returned to the owners, and all victims have been informed of the arrests.

Stokan was released from prison in October after serving 2 1/2 years for forgery. Mejia was released from prison last February after serving 2 1/2 years for attempted burglary. He previously served four years of a five-year sentence for a marijuana violation, according to Department of Corrections records.