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A Fairfield man accused of trespassing on several school campuses and stealing items throughout the Bay Area, including recently in Livermore, has been arrested.
“We are relieved that this individual has been arrested and are grateful to the Livermore Police Department for working with other agencies on our behalf to bring resolution to this matter,” said Torie Gibson, Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District Superintendent, in a statement to Livermore Vine.
Fremont Police Department School Resource Officers arrested Christopher Britton Monday (Nov. 3) — exactly one month after a Fremont elementary school reported a suspicious individual walking around campus Oct. 3, according to a press release issued by Fremont PD Wednesday.
Following that incident, Fremont SROs began receiving additional reports of missing items from classrooms at multiple schools across the district.
Through a coordinated investigation, Fremont police identified Britton as their suspect. He was already wanted by multiple law enforcement agencies in Solano, Contra Costa, Marin, Alameda, and Yolo Counties for similar thefts occurring on school campuses.
While conducting a follow-up activity in Walnut Creek Monday, a Fremont SRO spotted Britton returning a rental vehicle believed to have been used during one of the burglaries. Working in collaboration with the Walnut Creek Police Department, officers quickly moved in and arrested Britton after he attempted to flee the area, according to Fremont PD’s statement.
His arrest comes less than a week after LVJUSD confirmed that four of their campuses had been targeted earlier in October.
“School safety remains one of our top priorities,” Livermore PD officials said in a statement to Livermore Vine following Britton’s arrest. “We appreciate the swift action and collaboration of our law enforcement partners, including the Fremont Police Department, for apprehending the suspect.”
Investigators determined that Britton was specifically targeting school classrooms, stealing teachers’ credit cards, and using them to make fraudulent purchases at various retail stores.
“Our schools and staff were among many across the region affected by this individual’s actions, serving as an important reminder for all of us to remain vigilant and consistent in following the safety protocols that help keep our campuses safe and secure,” Gibson said.
The latest string of incidents comes months after a multi-agency task force led to Britton’s previous arrest in Marin back in April.
The operation included the Vacaville Police Department, Lafayette Police Department, Danville Police Department, Marin County Sheriff’s Office and the Dublin Police Services.
At that time, Britton was booked into the Marin County Jail on a no-bail Marin County arrest warrant and a $210,000 Contra Costa County Ramey Warrant for several counts of burglary and fraud-related charges, according to an April statement from the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.
It is currently unclear what the status of that previous case was or why he was out of custody.
Fremont PD said in its statement that the agency encourages any individuals or schools who believe they may have been victimized by Britton to contact their local police agency and file a report. Information about similar events in Fremont can be reported to their investigations unit at 510-790-6900.
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