Suspected Burglar Locked Up

By Latoya Silmon, News On 6

TULSA, OK - On Wednesday, police nabbed a man they call a serial burglar and they're on the hunt for more.

Police say serial burglars and burglary gangs are more common than you think. They arrested a man they say struck at least 100 times at area businesses and homes in Tulsa.

It's a cash cow for theives -- taking things that don't belong to them and making a quick buck, but for John Tiger Ridgeway, police say the gig is up.

"He's been hiding out from hotel to hotel. We found him this morning, set up on him and got him as he was getting into a stolen vehicle," said Sgt. Brandon Watkins, Tulsa Police Burglary Division.

They also found fake IDs, laptops and heavy machinery. Detectives say even the trailer it's on is stolen.

"It's huge. There's no telling how many burglaries he's done within the amount of stolen stuff that we found and the amount of stuff that we're still in the process of recovering around the city. His burglary total could be in the hundreds," said Sgt. Watkins.

From businesses to homes. United Rentals showed up to get its trailer back.

"How does it feel it get some of your stuff back? Oh it's great! I'm glad they caught the guy," said Scott Hicks, United Rentals Branch Manager.

Scott Hicks says rental companies are often easy targets for thieves.

He says his branch alone loses $20,000 - $30,000 a year because of them and employees end up paying for it.

"It affects the bottom line all the way down to the profitability of the branch, which affects the ability to give raises the next year," said Hicks.

But, police say busts like these send a message.

"We're letting them know that there is a burglary detective behind every rock and in every tree. We're looking for this stuff and we're aggressively going after them," said Sgt. Watkins.

Police say John Ridgeway could face a laundry list of charges for the burglaries.

They also arrested Anthony Pedone on Wednesday. Detectives say he made Ridgeway's fake IDs.

That's not all. Police say they also found drugs on Ridgeway, expect to make more arrests and multiple agencies in Green Country are now involved.