Water sprinklers get their man

Oceanside police say they saw the burglary suspect come out of his hiding place in the bushes when the sprinklers came on, after they responded to a call at around 3 a.m. on April 17.

“He was wet, his clothing was soaked,” said officer Bob Sterling, who testified in court today, May 1.

Two patrol cars were en route to a burglary-in-progress call early that Thursday morning, in the 1800 block of Blue Ridge Street, when the suspect was spotted about 100 yards from the burgled home, according to Officer Sterling.

Witnesses said that a barking dog woke the residents, who went out to find their garage door wide open and the truck’s interior light on. Gilbert Castro told the court that items were missing from his 2006 white Toyota Tundra truck, which was parked in the driveway. He said a camera, keys, cash, and other items were missing, either from the garage or truck.

Witnesses said there was a trail of abandoned property leading away from the home, including a crowbar.

The suspect, Jared Pyle, 21, was searched, and officers recovered a garage-door opener, change holder, and a notebook from his person. A wallet belonging to the burglary victim was found on the patrol car’s floorboard after the suspect was transported, according to Officer Sterling.

Through his attorney, Pyle asked the judge to release him on his own recognizance, stating that he had no prior felony convictions and that his bedridden grandmother relied on him for care.

Judge Blaine Bowman noticed that Pyle has two prior convictions in Riverside County — one for possession of stolen property and one a drug-related case; the judge declined to reduce bail from $50,000.

Pyle pleads not guilty to first-degree burglary, vehicle burglary, and possession of stolen property. He has a trial date of June 19 in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse.