Shane Brown told his 3-year-old son he loved him before he was taken to jail. Fresno police say he is the ringleader responsible for the burglary of a Fresno antique shop.
Officers showed up at the home where Brown lives around 9:00 Tuesday morning. Eight adults were ordered out of the home at gunpoint. Six were arrested for various crimes.
Brown told investigators he is addicted to meth. But, he denied his habit led to the latest burglary.
"My addiction problems have nothing to do with crimes," Brown said. "It's just my own personal problem."
Willie Morgan, 22, was also at the home when officers showed up. Investigators say he is another suspect in the antique store burglary and arson. He is also a validated gang member on probation who has several convictions for auto theft.
"I'm homeless ma'am, I go from friends to friends, just to see what they are doing," said Morgan.
Action News asked, "And you steal cars in the meantime?"
Morgan replied, "Why do you keep saying steal cars, I don't steal cars, I thought this was about burglaries."
Police say drugs are also sold at the Roosevelt Avenue home. Several bindles of meth were found during the warrant.
Tim Tietjen with the Fresno Police Department said, "We know as people would bring property here- this is kind of a broker in a sense that they were able to bring the property and get drugs for the stolen property."
Investigators say computers inside also show identities are stolen here too.
Glen Movey is the victim of the latest crime. He's still totaling up losses. Once his antique business was cleaned out and torched, his taxes and personal information were used to establish new lines of credit, and drain $6,000.00 from his checking account. On top of that, several PG&E bills of strangers were paid with his money.
Movey added, "This was on a Saturday, by the time we got to Monday, they had already taken money out of my bank account, they were writing, washing checks and rewriting them and it's still an ongoing process the bank is helping me solve."
Movey was very relieved to find one item Tuesday that has great sentimental value to him. "When I bought that years ago, it was just something I was always gonna keep because it reminded me of being a kid."
Most of the antiques police found were tucked away deep in the house, under floorboards and in walls.
