Man arrested in string of Rio Linda burglaries at small businesses

ByStoryAI

Aug 16, 2025

Man arrested in string of Rio Linda burglaries at small businesses

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Man arrested in string of Rio Linda burglaries at small businesses

A man was arrested in connection with a string of burglaries at six small businesses early Friday morning. Brendan Williams, 24, faces six felony vandalism and six counts of felony burglary, along with multiple misdemeanor charges. Williams is accused of breaking into businesses, destroying property, causing more than $400 in damage, and breaking into cash registers to steal money. Even with an arrest, the small business owners impacted still had to cover the cost of damages that, combined, totaled thousands of dollars. The Grotto, a restaurant that opened in January and was burglarized on Friday morning, said the cost to fix the damage is upwards of $1,000.

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A man was arrested in Rio Linda in connection with a string of burglaries at six small businesses early Friday morning, leaving business owners with thousands of dollars in combined damages.

Four businesses at the Rio Linda Shopping Center were targeted: The Grotto, Taqueria Mi Lindo Apatzingan, Meg’s Creamery, and Rio Java Coffee House had windows broken and were ransacked, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

The first reported burglary occurred after midnight on Friday at Sterling Water Supply on Elkhorn Boulevard. When law enforcement responded, they saw that a nearby Starbucks had a broken window, too.

From there, calls started at the Rio Linda Shopping Center for similar reports of a burglary.

The suspect in custody facing charges for the incidents is 24-year-old Brendan Williams, the sheriff’s office confirms. Williams faces six felony vandalism and six counts of felony burglary, along with multiple misdemeanor charges.

Williams is accused of breaking into businesses, destroying property, causing more than $400 in damage, and breaking into cash registers to steal money. He was caught by Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputies inside one of the small businesses and held at gunpoint, but did not comply, and tried to get away. He was chased and arrested early Friday morning.

According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, they found a backpack, as seen in security video provided to CBS13 by businesses, and inside the backpack, they found burglary tools and some cash, believed to be stolen.

Even with an arrest, the small business owners impacted still had to cover the cost of damages that, combined, totaled thousands of dollars.

Natalee Price owns The Grotto, a restaurant that opened in January and was burglarized on Friday morning. She said the cost to fix the damage is upwards of $1,000.

“When you look at a thousand dollars, that is literally somebody’s paycheck that this person decided they were just going to kick away. We have to do four times that amount to recoup that,” Price told CBS13.

To clean up and fix the damage, Price said she had community support. Before she was even on scene at the restaurant after 2 a.m., she said, she was already getting calls and check-ins from community members and friends offering to come clean up or pay for the needed fixes.

“Most business owners would want to give up. Not in Rio Linda, not with this community, we are here for you, we are gonna get through this,” said Price.

The same day as the break-ins, The Grotto hosted “Swanky Night”, and was met with community support to meet the financial burden caused by the burglary. Price said the outpouring of support for her small business meant more than the damage to the restaurant.

Source: Cbsnews.com | View original article

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/man-arrested-rio-linda-burglaries-small-businesses/