Suspect in Island School break-in on August 24 arrested in Fresno County

On Tuesday, September 1, at about 2 a.m., Garcia was arrested by authorities in Fresno County and was booked into the Fresno County Jail.  Kings County Sheriff's detectives interviewed Garcia and obtained additional information linking him to the burglary of Island Union School.

The investigation in Kings County is ongoing in an attempt to determine if Garcia had been involved in other burglaries in the area.  The case will be submitted to the Kings County District Attorney's Office for prosecution (in regards to the Kings County incident).  He has additional criminal cases pending in Fresno County.

Garcia has an extensive criminal record dating back to the early 1990s with multiple arrests for stolen vehicles, possession of stolen property, burglaries, along with narcotics related offenses, and violent assaults. The Sheriff’s Department is actively looking for Garcia and his arrest is imminent.

There were two suspects involved according to deputies. The burglary occurred sometime during the night or early morning. Deputies say access to the classrooms was gained by prying open exterior doors and breaking out classroom windows. Island School is equipped with security cameras which revealed two male subjects arriving in a newer model, silver, 4-door sedan. Witnesses describe the vehicle as possibly an Audi or Volkswagen.

The first subject is a white male adult, approximately 5-10 to 6-feet tall, with a bald head and beard. The second subject is approximately 5-9, wearing a baseball cap and possibly having facial hair.

There were several items taken from the classes, including 49 Chrome laptop computers, one Apple iPad and approximately $1,000 in cash and checks from a school fundraiser.

Garcia is described as a Hispanic male 5-10, 215 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.  He has a tattoo of a star under his left eye and a tattoo (red-colored) of the "bio-hazard" symbol on the left side of his neck and an unknown word tattooed above his right eyebrow.  His last known address is in the City of Fresno. 

Anybody with information as to the whereabouts of Ricardo David Garcia is asked to call the Kings County Sheriff's Office or their local law enforcement agency.  Because of his extensive criminal history, Garcia should be considered dangerous and has documented history of attempting to evade arrest by law enforcement personnel. 

The public is reminded to not attempt to apprehend Garcia but to call local law enforcement and give as many details as possible.  Kings County Sheriff's Dispatch can be contacted at (559)852-2720.  Any information should be forwarded to Detective Eric Hofmans at office number (559)852-4603, cell number (559)816-8865 (call or text message); or email @ eric.hofmans@co.kings.ca.us.