San Luis Obispo police say a man arrested this week on suspicion of multiple burglaries across the county is also connected to a couple of recent burglaries within the city.
Police say the suspect is 27-year-old Ryan Michael Coats.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Coats on Wednesday. They believe he is responsible for commercial burglaries in Cambria, Cayucos, San Simeon, and Templeton.
In San Luis Obispo, police say Coats also hit Taste Craft Eatery on Broad Street and PBK Architects on Higuera Street.
"Our office was robbed a couple of days ago," said Pablo Mora, PBK Technical Designer. "I just noticed something was missing, and then there was a little something in the chat about apparently, someone broke in, broke a window and came in and took the coffee machine, of all things."
Mora says the burglar also took an industrial-grade vacuum and a set of headphones. He says the sheriff's office has since returned all of the items.
Taste was reportedly broken into just after 3 a.m. on Wednesday. A window was broken and a restaurant spokesperson says a cash register was stolen.
Sheriff's officials say the San Simeon Post Office, Artifacts Gallery, McLean Jewelry, and Upscale Resale were also previously targeted.
Tamara Stavrianoudakis has owned Upscale Resale on Main Street in Templeton for 20 years. She says just after 3 a.m. on April 30, she received a call from the sheriff's office telling her someone had broken in.
"I looked on my ring cam and I was like, 'Oh no! Oh my gosh, yes, there's somebody in my store," she recalled.
The sheriff's office shared surveillance images of the suspect moments before the burglary.
"He just basically pulled all the high-end handbags off of the wall. So yeah, we had Louis Vuitton and Chanel and Gucci and some expensive ones, which we're no longer carrying because I don't want to risk that again," Stavrianoudakis said.
She says about $10,000 worth of handbags were taken, but she is relieved an arrest has been made.
"I hope they find my stuff. I know that they've, they're working on uncovering some of the merchandise, and hopefully some of it will be mine," she said.
According to the sheriff's office, at the time of his arrest, Coats was out on bail related to a burglary investigation being conducted by the Morro Bay Police Department.
Investigators believe he could be connected to burglaries outside of San Luis Obispo County as well.
Sheriff's officials say Coats has an extensive criminal history that includes felony convictions in Santa Barbara County for possession of a stolen vehicle in 2019, assault with a deadly weapon in 2020, and grand theft in 2022.
Coats remains in custody at the San Luis Obispo County Jail with bail set at $400,000.
The investigation remains ongoing and the sheriff's office is asking anyone with additional information to contact the detective division at (805) 781-4500.
