Battle Ground apartment burglarized while residents sleep

Battle Ground police arrested a man they say took advantage of an unlocked door and committed a burglary while the residents were asleep.

At about 1 a.m. Sunday, Battle Ground police responded to a residential burglary that had occurred at an apartment on the 600 block of Southwest Fourth Street.

Investigators found that the intruder had entered the apartment through an unlocked patio door during the night, while the residents were asleep, and took personal items.

Battle Ground officers returned to the location later in the day and conducted a follow-up investigation which resulted in the discovery of a second residential burglary in an adjoining apartment

Police interviewed Matthew J. Guarderas, 24, who later admitted to being involved in the burglaries and helped police recover the stolen property. Police described him as a transient who was last reported living in Longview.

Guarderas was transported to the Clark County Jail, where he was being held on two counts each of residential burglary and second-degree theft.

The Battle Ground Police Department reminded residents to lock their homes to prevent being victimized.