Police Arrest Man for Commercial Burglary of Goodwill Store

Published on May 09, 2022

Palo Alto, CA – After an alarmed tripped at a closed Goodwill store last Thursday night, police responded, found a suspect inside, and arrested him for burglary.

On Thursday, May 5, 2022, at about 9:23 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a burglar alarm activation from Goodwill of Silicon Valley at 4085 El Camino Way.  Officers responded immediately and discovered an open door at the back of the building.  Police conducted a search of the store and found a man inside.  Police took the man into custody without incident.

The investigation revealed the suspect, 55-year-old Desmond Stites of Amboy, Washington, had entered the closed business via a rear door that had likely been unsecured.  Once inside, the suspect began selecting items to steal.  At the time of his arrest, the suspect was wearing a pair of gloves stolen from the store.

Police booked Stites into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for commercial burglary, a felony.  His booking photo is available above. 

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413.  Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.