4 Teens arrested for series of break-ins in Tulare

The latest crime happened early Wednesday morning at Napa and Shasta streets in Tulare. The suspects range in age from 15 to 18 years old.

Police say they did not use any weapons during the break-ins. Still, investigators say the crimes were quite brazen.

"You know, you're violated and it's that close, you're afraid to go to bed at night."

Shawna, who did not want us to use her last name, lives just doors down from where police say 18-year-old Patrick Ragland, and three juveniles broke into this Napa street home early Wednesday morning.

Family members, who did not want to talk on camera, tell Action News they woke up after the teens entered their home through an open door in the garage.

When a woman inside asked who the boys were, she says the boys quickly left the house with a wallet, purse and some video games. Minutes later, Tulare police caught up with them.

Sgt. Richard House said, "A search of the home we could not find anybody, but were able to find some shoe tracks that led us next door to this victim."

The teens are linked to at least two recent break-ins, and despite the arrests neighbors are still on edge.

Audelia Medina adds, "Scary. Very scary. Now it looks like we'll have to invest in an alarm system."

Sunday night, just a few streets down from Monday's incident, police say the teens ransacked a home on South West Street. The homeowner was gone at the time. And just this past Monday, only a couple of miles away, police believe the four teens broke into an elderly couple's west Pleasant Street home, where they bound and gagged a 73-year-old woman. Her 81-year-old male roommate had to call police to free the victim.

Shawna said, "They don't care and it's scary cause I have 4 kids. It's like okay, do I have to stay up all night and watch them?"

The three teens were taken to juvenile hall. The 18-year-old suspect was booked into the Tulare County Jail.

Police are looking into the possibility the teens are linked to similar crimes in the past.