Guns, TVs and more stolen from home near Lodi on Thanksgiving

When Tanner Eaton returned to his home on Jack Tone Road between Comstock Road and Eight Mile Road near Lodi at approximately 4:30 p.m. Thursday, his girlfriend went inside to use the restroom before the couple went to their second Thanksgiving party of the day.

“She noticed that all the doors were open, and I always close my doors. She took a couple of steps inside and noticed that the TV and the entertainment system were gone,” Eaton said. “She told me, I checked the rest of the house and they completely wiped out the place.”

Approximately $7,500 worth of property was reportedly stolen, Eaton said, including TVs, laptops and between four and five firearms including a 12-gauge shotgun, some .22-caliber rifles and a .30-30-caliber rifle.

“There might have been some antique guns in the gun safe, too, because they took the whole gun safe,” Eaton said.

What concerned Eaton the most was that the burglary appeared to have been planed in advance, as ribbon was found tied to the railing along his front porch which he said San Joaquin County Sheriff’s deputies told him may have been used to mark his home as a target.

“Apparently, the sheriff said what they do is knock on the door, and if no one answers they tie a ribbon or leave some other kind of marking,” Eaton said.

The incident left Eaton feeling violated, he said, knowing that someone had broken into his home to steal his property while he was celebrating the holiday with loved ones.

“Just to sit on the couch after something like this happens and imagine someone going through your house and taking what they can, kind of gives you the creeps,” Eaton said.

Although no suspects have been identified, Deputy Ezequiel Peña said in an email that the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the burglary, and that anyone with information should call 209-4684400 and ask for Detective Stuhmer.