UPDATED: Menifee resident, dubbed the “O.C. Panty Thief” sentenced to 8 years

UPDATED: 09/20/2016 9:30 p.m.

SANTA ANA – A Menifee resident, dubbed the “O.C. Panty Thief,” received an eight-year prison sentence after he was convicted and sentenced Sept. 19 for stealing items such as undergarments and other personal items from female college students in Orange County. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims.

Arturo Galvan, 44, of Menifee, pleaded guilty to using social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook to locate addresses of more than 30 Orange County sorority girls and then steal personal items from their dorm rooms and private residences.

The married former maintenance worker and father of three girls was accused of going into at least 33 different women’s homes and bedrooms, Fullerton Police Sergeant Sgt. Kathryn Hamel said after his arrest. 25 of his victims were Chapman University students and eight of his victims were Cal State Fullerton students.

Galvan entered the victims’ homes during the late afternoon or evening hours and stole various items including women’s underwear, clothing, personal photos, planners, jewelry, laptops, and tablet devices worth more than $250,000, Fullerton Police Sergeant Sgt. Kathryn Hamel had previously stated.

After Galvan’s arrest, officers searched his residence where they recovered “quite a significant amount of property in his residence,” according to Hamel. “It was stockpiled in a garage.”

“To Galvan it was more than money. These were women he wanted to get to know,” Hamel said.

Galvan – who was facing 33 counts of felony burglary among other charges – pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree residential burglary, one count of attempted first-degree residential burglary and a misdemeanor count of resisting and obstructing a peace officer, Fyad wrote in a statement from the Orange County District Attorney’s office.

On multiple occasions between May 22, 2014, and Dec. 3, 2015, Galvan reportedly entered the homes of female college students in Orange and Fullerton, which primarily served as sorority houses for Chapman University and California State University, Fullerton.

“On Dec. 3, 2015, Galvan was looking through a window at a residence in Fullerton. Members of the Fullerton Police Department, who were surveilling the area, observed Galvan looking through the window,” Fyad explained. “(Galvan) attempted to flee, but at approximately 11 p.m. that evening, officers arrested the defendant as he was entering a car containing stolen items.”

In court, five victims read impact statements detailing the emotional and financial impact the burglaries had on them.

 

ORIGINAL STORY 02/24/2015 2:40 a.m.

Menifee man accused of using social media to burglarize co-eds homes

SANTA ANA – Arturo Galvan, 44, of Menifee, dubbed the “O.C. Panty Thief,” was seen in Orange County Superior Court Tuesday, Feb. 23 for a pre-trial hearing. Court records show he faces 33 counts of felony burglary.

The married maintenance worker and father of three girls is accused of going into at least 33 different women’s homes and bedrooms, according to Fullerton Police Sergeant Sgt. Kathryn Hamel.

Most of the women Galvan targeted were sorority members at Cal State Fullerton and Chapman University. Of the 33 burglaries he has been accused of committing, police say 25 of his victims were Chapman University students and eight of his victims were Cal State Fullerton students. He is accused of stealing more than $250,000 in clothing, electronics, and jewelry, court documents revealed.

Court records show Galvan has been accused of targeting students using social media such as Instagram and Facebook. He reportedly targeted his victims after seeing them in public places. If he took an interest in them, he would use social media to search out his victims, using geotags from photos they took and posted to social media, Hamel explained.

According to Hamel, if Galvan was able to locate his targeted victims, he would follow their Internet trail to track their movements and discover where they visited, worked and even lived. He would then use information he gathered from the Internet to track and follow his victims before burglarizing their residences. In some cases, his victims were inside their homes when he allegedly committed the burglaries.

Galvan was arrested by Fullerton Police officers at about 11 p.m., Dec. 3, after a concerned citizen called 911 to report seeing a man peeping through a neighbor’s bedroom window. He was reportedly seen running through a yard around 5:30 p.m. in the area of Dorothy Lane and Raymond Avenue, Hamel said.

Based on other recently reported burglaries in the area, officers believed the man was possibly trying to break into a home in the area. Fullerton Police officers and an Anaheim Police helicopter searched the area, going from yard to yard for the man. During the search, residents were warned to stay inside their homes and keep their doors locked. After more than three hours, the search was called off.

Although they were initially unable to find the subject, officers located a vehicle that did not belong in the neighborhood near Dorothy Lane and Raymond Avenue. Officers staked out the vehicle and detained Galvan several hours later when he tried to return to his car and leave the area, Hamel explained. Officers conducted an investigation, after which they arrested Galvan.

After Galvan’s arrest, officers searched his residence. “We recovered quite a significant amount of property in his residence,” Hamel said. “It was stockpiled in a garage.”

Galvan was initially charged with burglary, receiving stolen property, peeping and prowling. Additional charges were added as the investigation yielded more evidence and uncovered additional victims.

“To Galvan it was more than money. These were women he wanted to get to know,” Hamel said. According to police records, Galvan used his knowledge of social media to track his victims and then steal random items from them. He has been accused of stealing his victim’s movies, iPads, framed photos, jewelry, laptops and other personal and valuable items. Most disturbingly was that Galvan allegedly stole his victims’ panties and bras.

At his arraignment, Galvan pleaded not guilty and he was released from jail in December after posting $200,000 bail. However, last month, the judge hearing his case increased his bail to $1 million after a detective from Orange Police Department explained in court that he posed an immediate danger to the community. He has been in custody since.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.