4 Men Arrested Potentially in Connection with Joe Burrow's Home Burglary, Found with Bengals and LSU Gear
The suspects face multiple charges including participation in a criminal gang, possessing criminal tools and obstructing official business
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Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati BengalsFour arrests have been made in Clark County, Ohio, potentially in connection with the burglary at Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow's Ohio home on Dec. 9.
According to Clark County court records obtained by PEOPLE, Alexander Chavez, Bastian Morales, Jordan Sanchez and Sergio Cabello of Chile were arrested on Jan. 10 “after an ongoing investigation involving burglaries of multi-million dollar homes in multiple states.”
The documents don't name Burrow, 28, by name, but inside the suspects' vehicle, police found a shirt from the athlete's alma mater LSU and a Cincinnati Bengals hat "believed to be stolen from the December 9, 2024 burglary in Hamilton County, Ohio."
A Louis Vuitton duffle bag was also discovered, believed to be "possibly involved" in the Dec. 9 burglary, which Burrow said felt like an invasion of his privacy in "more ways than one" after the incident.
The suspects, “identified as being illegally in the country or overstayed their permission.” per the affidavit, were pulled over on Jan. 10 after committing a lane violation. Investigators said they had seen the men departing a La Quinta Inn carrying luggage just before the traffic stop.
Once pulled over, three of the men gave the officer fake IDs, per the affidavit.
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Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium on September 25, 2022Inside the vehicle, officers also discovered two "Husky automatic center punch tools wrapped in a cloth towel behind the glove box," according to the documents. The tool is believed to be used by the "South American Theft Group to break glass and enter into houses," authorities said.
Chavez later admitted to purchasing the tool, police reported, but couldn't give a reason as to why he bought it.
The men were arrested and placed into Clark County jail. An arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 21.
They face charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, participation in a criminal gang, possessing criminal tools and obstructing official business.
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Burrow's home was broken into on Dec. 9 while the quarterback was in Dallas, Texas playing the Cowboys. According to the initial police report, a 22-year-old female employee of Burrow's called 911 after she observed a “shattered bedroom window and the room ransacked."
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Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals looks on during the national anthem prior to the AFC Championship NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 29, 2023Reporters asked Burrow about the incident during a Bengals presser, where he said he felt like his "privacy has been violated in more ways than one."
"Way more is already out there than I would want out there and that I care to share, so that's all I've got to say about that," Burrow told the media.
The break-in came amid a string of robberies seemingly targeting professional athletes, and two months after the Kansas City-area homes of Chiefs stars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes were burglarized within 48 hours of each other.
Mahomes’ eight-acre Belton, Missouri estate was broken into around midnight on Sunday, Oct. 6, according to a police report obtained by PEOPLE.
The string of robberies — which have also hit NBA players in Minnesota and Massachusetts, and an NHL star in Pennsylvania — may be linked to a South American crime ring, multiple sources told ABC News and Fox 4 Kansas City in November.
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