Suspected burglars air their dirty laundry after stealing dryer and causing gas leak

CHICO, Calif. — A laundry room burglary in Chico led to what police called a "significant gas leak" in an apartment complex Friday morning.

At about 2:15 a.m., Chico Police said their department responded to a call of a burglary in the laundry room of an apartment complex in the 1200 block of W. 5th Street in Chico.

The department said two men were seen stealing a clothes dryer unit from the complex. When they removed the dryer, they damaged the gas line attached to it, causing a significant gas leak.

According to police, adjacent apartments were evacuated while members of Chico Fire shut off the gas. The ensuing investigation revealed a clothes washer was also stolen from the same location several hours prior.

Later, at about 3:15 a.m., a Chico Police Patrol Sergeant observed a suspicious pickup matching the given description in the area of Rash Lane near Kennedy Avenue in Southwest Chico. In the back of the pickup, police said there was a clothes dryer with a gas line sticking out from it.

Chico officials confirmed the two occupants of the pickup were detained and, subsequent to an investigation, were arrested for the burglary of the laundry room. They were identified as 36-year-old Daniel Corcoran and 31-year-old Esteban Salazar, both of Chico.

The clothes dryer in the back of the pickup was confirmed to be the one stolen from the apartment complex an hour earlier.

Corcoran and Salazar were transported to the Butte County Jail and booked for Burglary.