Stolen tools traced to Agua Caliente resident

Police arrested Mark William Rapozo, 47, on Wednesday, for possession of tools reported stolen from a home in the 17000 block of Sonoma Highway on Sunday. The burglar at that vacant residence had broken in through a locked rear door and had made off with a paint sprayer and other tools which the victim valued at $1,300. Police traced the items to Rapozo’s home, in the same block as the victim’s. Rapozo was taken to the Sonoma County jail and booked.
The crime is but one in a long series of thefts and burglaries that have recently been afflicting the usually quiet valley. “This is an aberration for the Sonoma Valley,” said Sgt. Dave Peterson, of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department. “We have peaks and valleys, and right now to have the number [of burglaries] we have, we’re taking this very seriously. The number of victims we have is overwhelming.”
According to a survey done last month by Sacramento firm, JMM Research, 82 percent of Sonoma’s residents list crime and gang violence as their top concern, ahead of dependence on foreign oil and even ahead of water.
An arrest is good news, but the wider problem of crime wave remains. “Even with one simple arrest,” said Peterson, “we don’t know how that will affect the overall picture. It’s just one burglar. But he could be involved in other burglaries. Even if we can only get one case on one person, that will help us make sure other people aren’t victimized.”