This Oct. 5, 2011 file photo shows Apple founder Steve Jobs' home in Palo Alto, Calif. A suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with the theft of computers and personal items worth more than $60,000 from the Northern California home of the late Jobs. Thirty-five-year-old Kariem McFarlin, who was arrested earlier this month, is being held on $500,000 bail. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

California home of late Steve Jobs burglarized

By Jason Green

San Jose Mercury News

First Published Aug 14 2012 10:34 am • Last Updated Aug 14 2012 09:43 pm

PALO ALTO, Calif. • Not even the home of Silicon Valley legend Steve Jobs has escaped a San Francisco Bay area-wide upswing in residential burglaries. But unlike a majority of those crimes, a suspect is in custody.

The deceased Apple co-founder’s home in Palo Alto was burglarized July 17, said Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Tom Flattery, a member of the high-technology crimes unit.

More than $60,000 worth of "computers and personal items" were allegedly stolen, but Flattery declined to say whether they belonged to Jobs, who died last year at the age of 56, or another family member.

Authorities arrested Kariem McFarlin, 35, of Alameda, Calif., in his hometown Aug. 2 on suspicion of burglarizing the residence and selling stolen property, Flattery said. He was arraigned Aug. 7.

McFarlin, who remains in county jail on $500,000 bail, could face a maximum prison sentence of seven years and eight months, including a one-year enhancement for "excessive taking of property," Flattery said. He is slated to return to court Aug. 20 to enter a plea.

Bay Area cities have seen double-digit jumps in burglaries during the first half of the year. Police in Palo Alto have attributed the city’s 63 percent increase to unlocked doors and windows. A "Lock It or Lose It" campaign launched earlier this year seeks to change that behavior.

Details about the burglary at Jobs’ residence were scarce Monday. The crime was listed in the weekend report log released to the media, but police referred all questions about the crime to the district attorney’s office. Lt. Zach Perron said that was because charges had been filed.

Flattery was tight-lipped about the case, declining to discuss the chain of events that led to McFarlin’s arrest. But he revealed that McFarlin was likely unaware of the home’s significance.

"The best we can tell is it was totally random," said Flattery.

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