Martin T. Castro Jr., right, is escorted by a Corrections officer at the local courthouse for a bail hearing on Friday.
MARTIN Tiambao Castro Jr., 39, a repeat burglary and theft offender, has been arrested, this time for breaking into a house and stealing electronic items.
Castro, who was charged with burglary, theft and vandalism, appeared before Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho for a bail hearing on Friday morning. Castro’s bail was set at $3,000 cash.
At the hearing, Castro was represented by Chief Public Defender Douglas Hartig while Assistant Attorney General Heather Barcinas appeared for the government.
According to the complaint against Castro, a homeowner in Chalan Kanoa returned home at around 5 p.m. on Feb. 13 because she could not find the laptop that she needed for work.
She reviewed security camera footage and saw a man inside her house taking her Samsung laptop, valued at $375, and a Nintendo Switch, valued at $320.
She said the man also cut the line of one of her surveillance cameras, valued at $240.
Police reviewed the surveillance footage and identified Castro from previous cases.
The footage shows Martin wearing a light blue t-shirt and long pants, entering the victim’s house. Before exiting, he concealed a Samsung laptop and a red and blue Nintendo Switch in the front portion of his pants, pulling his shirt down to cover them.
On Feb. 14, police arrested Castro who was spotted walking on Texas Road.
According to court documents, Castro waived his right to an attorney and admitted to the burglary and theft incident. He led investigators to the stolen property, which the victim positively identified as hers, as stated in court documents.
Castro has been involved in several previous burglary and theft cases, including one in 2012 when he also sexually assaulted a rental car company employee and attempted to destroy surveillance footage.
