San Pablo man stole, destroyed youth baseball equipment: police
San Pablo man charged in theft, arson of team's equipment
San Pablo police said, Tuesday, they had arrested a suspect in the burglary and arson of a storage container at Davis Park. The container held at least $100,000 worth of equipment for the San Pablo Baseball Assoc. That association has Fall games scheduled to begin this week, but those plans are now up in the air.
SAN PABLO, Calif. - An East Bay youth baseball team is trying to recover from a devastating crime and figure out how they’ll continue to play ball this fall.
"Baseball is a ‘God’ sport. It’s a sport that God just looks over, he puts his little dots out there, and everything just comes together just like it should," said Andre Williams, president of the San Pablo Baseball Association.
His deep faith in a higher power is being tested due to a trial and tribulation impacting dozens of kids. Residents living near San Pablo’s Davis Park called the police on Monday and said a storage container was burning.
"Early in the morning…the fire started. That’s pretty much it. We called the fire department," said neighbor Dzalia Arujo.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze quickly, but the damage was done. All the equipment belonging to the San Pablo Baseball Association was either stolen or destroyed. Williams estimated losses at over $100,000.
"Bats, balls, helmets, catcher's gear, working gear, shovels (have been lost)," he said. "Now we have nothing. So, we have to totally start over from scratch."
San Pablo police arrested 30-year-old unhoused resident Ulysses Sanchez a short distance from the scene.
"His intention was to steal items. And he also told us his intention was to burn the conex box," said police Capt. Bradley Lindblom.
Sanchez is charged with arson, burglary, and possession of stolen property.
His alleged crimes have left the team in a bind. Some parents said their season is scheduled to start this week. Their child’s participation in the games is more impactful than just playing baseball.
"This is such a nice activity for them. Not just for them, but for the parents as well. We really built a nice community around baseball," said parent Cindy Rosas. Added parent Amadeo Alvarez, "Just the unity. The father-son love that you commit to, and you can see other people commit to the same thing."
Williams and others hope the greater Bay Area community will help them overcome their plight, and allow San Pablo to play ball.
"Who knows? I ain’t canceling. We’re going to keep going. I’m going to put it in God’s hands," said Williams.
The baseball association’s first game is Saturday, with a planned practice Wednesday.
Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on Instagram, @jessegontv and on Facebook, @JesseKTVU