LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Las Vegas police accused two men of a string of burglaries after more than 20 different storage units were broken into between July and August, police documents said.
James Butts, 43; and Jason Lujan, 42, both face multiple counts of burglary of a structure and conspiracy to commit burglary after police say they were seen on video burglarizing several storage units in the Las Vegas valley.
Golden State Storage burglary
On Aug. 19, at around 2:30 p.m., detectives with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department were called to Golden State Storage in the 9000 block of Grand Canyon Drive, the report said. The owner of one of the units at the business told police that his unit was burglarized. He told police that approximately 10-12 bags and totes containing “various style of Jordan, Yeezy, and Supreme brand clothing and shoes” were taken.
The value of the items was approximately $12,000, according to the report.
Surveillance video showed two men entering the storage facility at around 4 a.m. The men are seen “casing” through the facility before loading a dolly cart with bags and totes and leaving, documents said.
The victim told police that there was an Apple Air Tag inside a shoe box that was taken. Police tracked the Air Tag to a residence in the 200 block of Adorno Drive in Henderson.
The suspects
When officers arrived at the residence, they found Lujan, who matched the description of one of the suspects on Golden State Storage surveillance cameras. He also had a Supreme brand backpack that appeared to be brand new, the report stated.
Lujan was taken into custody. A records check showed that a vehicle located at the residence was registered to a rental company and was rented by Butts, who matched the second suspect on video surveillance.
Butts was also taken into custody. He has a criminal history, including possession of stolen property, burglary of a business, grand larceny, petit larceny, domestic battery, obstructing a public officer, and narcotics-based offenses, the report stated.
On Aug. 29, a search warrant was obtained by police to search the residence.
Both Butts and Lujan were booked on charges of burglary of a structure, conspiracy to commit burglary, possessing stolen property, and possession of burglary tools. Court documents show they were released on Aug. 21.
Additional burglaries at Extra Space Storage
Following Butts and Lujan’s arrests, police looked for any additional incidents that may have involved the duo, the report stated.
On July 22 at around 10:20 a.m., LVMPD officers were called to Extra Space Storage in the 9900 block of Spencer Street after an employee reported that multiple units were broken into.
The employee told police that around 20 storage units were broken into, the report stated. Officers found a crowbar inside one of the units that were broken into. Video surveillance showed two men arriving on the property in a vehicle matching Butts’ rental.
The men on the surveillance video matched the description of Butts and Lujan. The suspects were seen on surveillance footage entering and leaving four times during the night of July 21, according to the arrest report.
On Aug. 2, a different employee of the business called police to report that again, multiple storage units were broken into. Surveillance video showed two suspects matching Butts and Lujan, the report stated.
The suspects were seen on video entering the storage building on Aug. 1 through a side gate not accessible to the public, the report stated. Surveillance video showed the duo carrying items from the building approximately 3 hours after they arrived.
From July 23 to Aug. 21, six different victims called police to report that their individual units were burglarized. The items reported stolen were worth approximately $20,000 in total, the report stated.
The second arrest
On Sept. 15 at 10 p.m., officers went to the residence on Adorno Drive to take Butts and Lujan into custody. A woman answered the door and told police that neither men were home.
During surveillance of the home, officers saw a man drive away from the home. Police followed him to a nearby gas station, where he met up with James Butts. Officers stopped the vehicle, taking Butts into custody.
Lujan was seen walking west on Robindale and was taken into custody.
The two were charged with five counts of burglary of a structure and five counts of conspiracy to commit burglary.
Lujan was released on electronic monitoring with the bail condition to stay out of trouble. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 3.
Butts is being held on a $10,000 bail. If he makes bail, he will be released on electronic monitoring.
