A burglary investigation in Westwood this week led to the arrest of three people and the recovery of stolen items by the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office.
According to Detective John McGarva, on November 29th, a Deputy with the Sheriff’s Office contacted a Westwood resident regarding what the officer suspected was a possible burglary at the man’s rental properties.
When the property owner arrived he noticed several items missing from inside an unsecured garage on the property. He said that several children’s toys were missing from the garage as well as multiple items from inside the residence.
A 12-volt battery was missing from a Toyota Land Cruiser parked at the location.
Later that evening the property owner contacted the Sheriff’s Office and told Deputies that he had found one of the stolen items, a white security screen door, behind the home of Leroy Cowan in Westwood. A Deputy responded to the area and saw the door leaning against a travel trailer behind Cowan’s residence.
The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office obtained and executed a search warrant for Cowan’s residence where Deputies located multiple items reported as stolen property.
Recovered items included clothing, games and other personal property reported missing. Deputies report that they also found items from another burglary reported the same day at another residence nearby.
According to the Sheriff’s Office Cowan was arrested for possessing stolen property, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a short barreled shotgun and child endangerment.
A female subject, Mary Renee Bungarz of Westwood, was also arrested for possession of stolen property and child endangerment.
Shortly afterwards another Westwood resident, Sean Chappell, was also arrested after being found in possession of property taken in the two burglaries.
The case was referred to the Lassen County District Attorney’s Office.
