Suspect in vehicle burglaries, credit card abuse in custody

Southlake Police arrested Carlos J. Ramos, 40, for burglary of a vehicle and credit/debit car abuse charges on Monday, according to a news release.

Ramos was taken into custody by the Live Oak Police Department after a traffic stop.

Detectives from Flower Mound, Southlake and Waco interviewed Ramos while he was in custody, linking him to a total of 17 cases of a burglary of a vehicle and credit/debit card abuse cases in all three communities. A number of similar cases in Grapevine, Euless, Arlington, Plano and Highland Village also were cleared, according to the release.

In January, Flower Mound police sought the public’s help in identifying a man believed responsible for a string of burglaries in Flower Mound as well as Colleyville, Highland Village, Plano and Southlake.

A male suspect had been targeting vehicles parked around fitness centers, police noted in a news release.

Police said the suspect was watching for female customers to park their car. If they go into the gym without a purse, the car becomes a likely target, police said.

According to police records, the individual appeared to target fitness center parking lots in the early afternoons on weekdays but also struck early in the morning as well as on weekends.

A car window was usually broken as the suspect looked for purses or other valuables. If credit cards were found, the suspect used them immediately afterward before credit card accounts were closed.

Since September, the same suspect is believed to have committed burglaries in Flower Mound, Highland Village, Southlake, Plano and Colleyville, police said.

A partial list of the burglaries believed committed by the same suspect include:

*Nov. 06 at 2 p.m., at Lifetime Fitness, 3100 block of Churchhill Drive in Flower Mound.
*Nov. 12 at 7 a.m. at 24-Hour Fitness in the 300 block of Nolen Drive in Southlake
*Dec. 3 at 2:45 p.m. at Lifetime Fitness in Flower Mound.
*Dec. 26 at 2:20 p.m. at Lifetime Fitness in Flower Mound.
*Jan. 4 – 4 p.m.at Lifetime Fitness in Flower Mound
*Jan. 10 – 3:15 p.m. at Lifetime Fitness, 1200 block of Church Street in Colleyville.
*Jan. 23 – 11 a.m. – two burglary of motor vehicle incidents at the Lifetime Fitness in Flower Mound.