Park District Police: Suspects Arrested In Connection With East Bay Burglary Spree

November 19, 2020

The East Bay Regional Park District Police Department has been investigating a rash of auto burglaries in our Contra Costa County parks over the course of several weeks. Based on collected evidence from Briones Regional Park in Lafayette, and Contra Loma Regional Park in Antioch, we determined John Fouhy and Rachel Whitlatch as likely suspects. On 11/18/20, our Officers and Detectives questioned Fouhy and Whitlatch during a pre-scheduled morning probation meeting. The couple had arrived for the meeting in a recently stolen vehicle, which also yielded numerous other stolen articles and fraudulently purchased merchandise. Officers also searched a Pleasant Hill hotel room rented by the couple, recovering additional stolen and fraudulently purchased merchandise.

Our investigation indicates the couple have a long history of burglarizing vehicles to steal credit cards for making fraudulent purchases at multiple stores throughout the greater Bay Area. During our probation search, Officers recovered stolen property valued in excess of $3000. We suspect multiple other jurisdictions have been targeted by the couple and anticipate additional crimes coming to light, following this investigation.

Fouhy and Whitlatch were booked in Contra Costa County’s Martinez Detention Facility on multiple felony charges.

If anyone has any further information regarding this investigation, please contact the East Bay Regional Park District Police tip line at (510) 690-6521.