OC sheriff's deputy arrested for burglaries caught on video
An Orange County sheriff's deputy has been arrested on allegations he burglarized the home of a man who had recently died.
YORBA LINDA, Calif. (KABC) -- An Orange County sheriff's deputy has been arrested on allegations he burglarized the home of a man who had recently died.
Deputy Steve Hortz, a 12-year veteran of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, was arrested Thursday morning and booked at the Santa Ana jail for burglary.
The department says Hortz was the backup deputy on July 20 for a call to the Yorba Linda home of a man in his 70s who died of natural causes.
A week later Hortz allegedly returned to the home in uniform. Home surveillance video shows him entering the back yard and breaking into the unoccupied residence.
He then allegedly returned in the early morning hours on Aug. 10 and Aug. 16 in civilian clothing and removed items from the home, including weapon safes, ceiling fans, a rifle bag and other items.
An attorney for the deceased man's family contacted the department Wednesday. Family members had noticed items missing from the home and reviewed surveillance footage.
They determined it appeared that the same deputy who visited the home in uniform later returned to commit the burglaries.
"He does not deserve to work in this profession anymore," said Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes. "He's embarrassed this profession. He's embarrassed this organization. and he's embarrassed the almost 4,000 members who do good work every day."
Hortz was placed on administrative leave.
Investigators are looking at other calls the deputy handled to see if there may have been other incidents.
