Metro Burglary Suspect Believed To Have Ties To South American Burglary Ring

A man arrested on suspicion of burglary, allegedly stole cash, jewelry, and high-end bags from a metro home and is believed to have ties to a South American burglary ring, investigators confirmed.

The man is in jail in Ohio, accused of a similar crime there.

Investigators in Oklahoma City and Edmond are currently scrutinizing a string of burglaries. They’re working to determine if the burglaries are connected, and if they were committed by suspected members of organized crime who are known to hop from state to state.

In late November 2023, Oklahoma City Police responded to a neighborhood near Northwest 150th Street and North May Avenue. The home, valued by Trulia at around $3 million had been burglarized.

Police reports showed a glass window to the master bedroom had been shattered, the closet rummaged through, and the door to a safe had been cut. More than $60,000 in designer purses and jewelry were stolen. The loss was estimated to be "[more than] $500 thousand"

According to court filings, John Renoso Rodriguez was connected to the Oklahoma City crime in December after he was arrested in Ohio on suspicion of burglary. Ohio investigators told OKC police a search of Rodriguez's cell phone uncovered a photo of him and two unknown men, "in front of a badly damaged safe." Police said it matched photos taken from the Oklahoma City burglary. His phone's coordinates also matched the OKC address.

While Rodriguez was behind bars, Ohio investigators believe his accomplices struck an Ohio neighborhood of mansions the following day. “They knew we were gone, they apparently were watching us and then game on. That’s when they broke the window, took what they wanted, and took off, they were gone in five minutes,” said Ryan Ramsey, an Ohio resident whose home was burglarized.             

Ohio investigators told the family they were likely the victims of tourist burglars, a type of crime detectives in California are used to seeing. “They probably took jewelry and valuables that were easy to carry,” said Mike Maher, retired Los Angeles Sheriff’s detective.           

According to police reports, similar items were stolen from two Edmond homes in January 2024. Reports show Rodriguez was also in possession of two Argentinian I.D. cards that contained two different names and birthdates.