Police Nab Car Thief Suspects Across the Age Spectrum—18 and 66

Police arrested a 66-year-old Santee man acting suspiciously Tuesday at the Amaya Drive trolley station. Authorities discovered he was wanted in connection with felonies committed outside La Mesa.

The same day, an 18-year-old Spring Valley woman was arrested on suspicion of residential burglary and auto theft—driving away with a car belonging to people away on vacation, said police Lt. Dan Willis.

The Santee suspect, Philip Michael Dziezyk, was booked on six counts, including hit-and-run, burglary and vehicle theft.

“The Dziezyk arrest came in as a suspicious person [report] at the Amaya … station,” Willis said.  “When officers arrived, they ran his name through records and found that he had two felony warrants for his arrest—one for burglary and one for auto theft from another jurisdiction.  He was arrested for the warrants and taken to jail.”

Dziezyk—who is white and 5 foot 8 with blond hair—is being held without bail at County Jail in San Diego, according to jail records. His arraignment is set for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 18 in El Cajon Superior Court.

The Spring Valley teenager, Gloria Lee Sanchez, was arrested by special enforcement officers Tuesday in the process of committing a residential burglary in the 4200 block of Black Mountain Road in southeast La Mesa near High Street, Willis said. 

“A neighbor saw her and two other suspects going into the victim’s home,” Willis said.  “The neighbor knew the residents were away on vacation and called police.  The suspects took the residents’ car keys and began to drive off with the stolen car when officers arrived.”

She and two others—Ricardo Lopez, 22, and a 17-year-old girl—were arrested down the street from the victims’ house on suspicion of residential burglary and auto theft, Willis said.

Sanchez is being held on $50,000 bail at County Jail and is set for arraignment at 1:30 p.m. today (Thursday) in El Cajon Superior Court. Lopez is being held without bail, since he was out on parole for a previous conviction, said jail records.