Residents Urged to Check Storage Units After Recent Burglaries

Victoria officers are urging residents to check their storage units.

When’s the last time you checked on your storage unit?
Because if it’s been a while, Victoria County deputies say now might be a really good time.

On Monday, December 12, employees at Coast Lock Storage on Highway 87 noticed something suspicious while monitoring their surveillance videos. They noticed a man attempting to break into multiple storage units. Deputies from the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office were quickly called over but the suspect managed to leave the area before they arrived.

Although the suspect wasn’t located, investigators were able to identify the vehicle as a red Mercedes SUV.

Fast forward to Wednesday, January 14, that same red SUV was spotted in the most predicatable place: storage units. The vehicle traveled between various storage facilities, including Alamo Storage on Sam Houston Drive and CubeSmart Self Storage.

At CubeSmart, once the man began tampering with locks on several storage units, deputies stepped in.

The suspect is doing more than just tampering with locks.

Victoria County Sheriff's Office

The suspect was identified as Raul Sanchez, a Victoria resident. According to deputies, a preliminary investigation uncovered:

Cut storage unit locks
Numerous lock keys
Bolt cutters and lock-picking tools
Approximately 54.7 grams of methamphetamine

Sanchez was arrested and charged with:

Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance (PG1, over 4g, under 200g)
Attempted Burglary of a Building
Unlawful Possession of a Criminal Instrument

Could this be related to other burglaries?

Deputies say this case lines up with other recent storage unit burglaries in the area, where locks were cut and then replaced, making it look like nothing was disturbed.

That’s the scary part because I pretty much lock mine up and forget about it. If you’re not checking your unit often, you might not notice anything missing until weeks or months later.

The Victoria County Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone who rents a storage unit to:

Check your unit regularly
Make sure your lock is the one you installed
Report anything that looks off, even if nothing appears missing

If you use a storage unit anywhere in Victoria County, this is your reminder to go take a look.

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