By Gary Klien
Only a burglar with nerves of steel would stop and eat cheesecake in the middle of a break-in – especially when it’s a block from police headquarters.
But what Roberto Cruz Brown wasn’t counting on, police say, was an Internet-based surveillance system that was capturing his every move in real time.
Brown was arrested at the Mt. Tam Racquet Club in Larkspur when the general manager happened to log on to the Webcam to check the tennis courts – and saw the masked suspect rummaging through the club’s offices, police said.
«I just happened to time it perfectly,» said Rod Heckelman, the general manager.
The incident occurred Sunday evening at the club, which closed at 2 p.m. for the Easter holiday. Heckelman, using his personal computer at home in San Rafael, logged on to the Webcam around 6 p.m. to check the amount of rain on the outdoor courts.
The Webcam had been installed recently by LovingEyes.tv, a Larkspur-based company that sets up live video feeds, mostly in day-care centers, retirement homes and kennels. The service allows people to keep tabs on their children, elderly parents or pets during their busy workdays.
Read more Larkspur stories at the IJ’s Corte Madera / Larkspur city page.
