After suffering a rash of break-ins, residents of Tijuana’s San Antonio del Mar community were certain they knew the culprit: a U.S. citizen named Tyler James Yeager.

They started a private Facebook page, “To Catch a Thief,” and posted flyers showing Yeager’s California ID—which had been dropped at a crime scene. After days of calling for his capture, homeowners have been been celebrating: the 39-year-old former U.S. Marine Scout Sniper is now behind bars at Tijuana’s La Mesa Penitentiary.

Authorities announced Tuesday that Yeager has been in custody since 2 p.m. Sunday after he was caught in the act at San Antonio del Mar, a coastal enclave north of Rosarito Beach, where many of the homeowners are Americans. Members of Mexico’s Federal Police said they arrested Yeager just as he was leaving the scene of his latest crime, a residence on Avenida Farallón.

Detail from a wanted poster posted by U.S. homeowners (Courtesy)


Jorge Alvarez, an official with the Baja California Attorney General’s Office, said that prosecutors were preparing to charge Yeager with “robo a casa habitación con violencia”— using violence to burglarize a residence.

According to the Federal Police report, the owner of the residence walked in on Yeager as he was committing the crime and managed to flag down federal officers on patrol along the nearby coastal toll road. The officers arrested Yeager just as he was coming out of the residence.

Yeager was armed with a shotgun, Alvarez said. The agency is checking to see whether Yeager could be connected to similar crimes committed in the area.

Yeager first came to their attention more than two months ago, Alvarez said, after officers searched a U.S.-owned residence in the nearby Punta Bandera community. Yeager and an uncle are relatives of the owners, the prosecutor said, and the house was used as a base for consuming drugs and committing car theft.


At the time of the search, four Mexican citizens were detained, but Yeager and another U.S. citizen escaped, Alvarez said.

According to the U.S. Marine Corps, Yeager served from 1998 to 2000, reaching the rank of corporal. His occupational specialties were rifleman and scout sniper, his service record showed. He received several awards, including two Humanitarian Service Awards.

But since leaving the Marines, Yeager has had run-ins with the law in southern Montana, where the Ravalli County Court found him guilty of a 2014 sexual assault and of driving under the influence of alcohol in 2015. Authorities issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to pay $1,185 in fines in connection with the crimes and did not show up for a hearing.

Staff writer Joshua Stewart contributed to this report.


sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

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