Repeated burglaries force woman to leave CA home, cops say. Then bears take over
A woman was forced out of her remote Northern California home by a string of repeated burglaries — and then bears moved in, officials said.
The 64-year-old woman reported the first burglary at her Lovelock home north of Magalia when it happened in April 2024, the Butte County District Attorney said in a June 26 news release.
After that, “a string of ongoing and regular burglaries began with such frequency that the victim was forced to stay away out of fear that the burglars would find her” at her home during the break-ins, officials said in the release.
The accused burglars, whom officials referred to as ”Den of Thieves,” ransacked the home and caused so much damage that bears were able to get inside, which inflicted even more damage and worsened the homeowner’s financial losses, officials said.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office investigated the burglaries as they occurred and ultimately filed charges against 11 people, officials said. The agency has also “tentatively identified” six more people who have burglary charges pending.
Several of them were released while others remain in custody at the Butte County Jail, officials said.
Authorities are still investigating, and anyone with information about the burglaries or those involved should contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
Lovelock is about a 100-mile drive north from Sacramento.
This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 1:38 PM with the headline "Repeated burglaries force woman to leave CA home, cops say. Then bears take over."
