Man seeking burglary witnesses locates stolen items at neighbor’s house
A Las Vegas man visited a neighbor to see if they’d witnessed someone burglarize his home, but while speaking to the neighbor, he spotted his stolen sofa inside that neighbor’s house.
Police are now searching for the man’s neighbor, 28-year-old Andrew G. Pino, who’s been charged with a felony count of receiving stolen property.
The Las Vegas Police Department began investigating a burglary in the 600 block of Piñon Street around 3:30 p.m. Jan. 4, according to an affidavit filed in San Miguel Magistrate Court. A man had contacted police to say that he’d just returned home from a holiday trip and found that his home had been burglarized.
The man said several items were missing, including food from the freezer, clothing, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch gaming consoles, a desktop computer, a 40-inch television and a “teal” sofa, according to the affidavit.
The man told police he was asking neighbors in the area if they’d witnessed anyone break into his house, and while asking a man across the street, he could see his distinctive sofa just inside the doorway, according to the affidavit.
Officers attempted to speak with the neighbor, but no one answered when they knocked on the door. In the affidavit, officers noted that someone was likely living in the house because smoke was coming from the chimney.
Police obtained a search warrant for the home later that afternoon and entered the home. The house appeared to be “somewhat abandoned and falling apart,” with numerous broken or missing windows, according to the affidavit. Multiple doors didn’t shut properly or have doorknobs, and trash was scattered around the home.
Police were aware that Pino lived at the home because of previous encounters with him, and the man whose home was burglarized selected Pino in a photo lineup, according to the affidavit. Due to the poor condition of the home, police believe Pino might be residing in the home illegally.
During a search of the house, police located “numerous stolen items,” including the sofa, laundry detergent and several articles of clothing. The items were returned to the owner and an arrest warrant was issued for Pino.
A previous arrest warrant was issued in September after Pino failed to appear in Magistrate Court for a plea agreement hearing in a case from January 2020 where he’s charged with criminal trespass. The charges resulted from an October 2019 incident where money was taken from a car parked at the West Las Vegas High School gym. Police allege Pino was seen on surveillance video entering the car, and later counting cash as he walked away.
Court records indicate that Pino was set to accept a plea agreement in the case, but failed to appear for several hearings.
Pino was not in custody as of this writing.
