The Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday it obtained warrants against a quartet of men in connection to two recent break-ins in Chapel Hill.

A release from the office said investigators — chiefly Investigator Kevin Stewart — worked with agencies in surrounding counties and other states to identify the suspects, who are four Chilean men currently being held in Baltimore County, Maryland on separate crimes. 23-year-old Luis Fernando Oyanedel Valenzuela and 22-year-old Jorge Orlando Gatica Vergara have warrants for first degree burglary, felony conspiracy, felony larceny after breaking and entering, and damage to property related to a break-in on December 17, 2023. They also face warrants for a January 19 break-in with 21-year-old Thomas Francisco Crisosto Araya and 20-year-old Gabriel Alejandro Matamala Ponce. Charges for all four include second degree burglary, felony conspiracy, felony larceny after breaking and entering, and damage to property.

According to the sheriff’s office, the men allegedly broke into two residences on the same road: Whirlaway Lane in the Triple Crown Farms subdivision, which is west of Chapel Hill town limits and past Calvander. The residences reported jewelry, cash, and “expensive cultural and ceremonial garments” being stolen after thieves smashed glass in the rear of the homes to get inside after dark. Orange County investigators believe the men conducted surveillance on the homes from “positions of nearby cover, such as the wood-lines between other neighborhoods,” according to Thursday’s release.

The sheriff’s office said the four Chilean citizens face full extradition to Orange County, but only after the “criminal matters” in Maryland are settled by the court system. Thursday’s release did not indicate what charges Valenzuela, Vergara, Araya and Ponce are being held on in Baltimore County, and there is not timeline for their return.

Stewart remains the lead investigator in the case, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Anyone who may have further information regarding the break-ins, the suspects, or similar crimes in the area are encouraged to call him at (919) 245-2925.

 

Photo via the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

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