A 48-year-old Wawarsing man will serve 13 years in prison and five more on probation for burglarizing homes while responding to calls as a member of the Ellenville First Aid and Rescue Squad, according to a press release from the Ulster County District Attorney's office.
Left: German A. Lobaton. Photo via the Ulster County District Attorney's office.
German A. Lobaton pled guilty in July to stealing items from unoccupied homes during a four-month period in 2013. He was sentenced on Friday, Oct. 3.
He targeted the homes his rescue squad had visited during emergency calls, according to the press release:
Shortly after responding, knowing that the homes would be unoccupied, he returned to and entered them and stole numerous items of personal property. Much of the stolen property was eventually found in his home by the police. The case was investigated by the New York State Police in Ellenville.
According to the Daily Freeman, Lobaton has worked for rescue squads throughout the Hudson Valley, and was arrested in October 2013. He stole guns, jewelry and cash, the paper reports:
In one instance, a police search of Lobaton’s home turned up $10,000 worth of jewelry, guns and cash that had been taken from one home, along with items reported stolen in two prior thefts, police said in March.
