Publication Date: Friday Dec 12, 1997

POLICE: Auto burglar gets life sentence

A 29-year-old East Palo Alto man was sentenced to life in prison by a Santa Clara County judge last week for auto theft and possession of stolen property under the three strikes law. William Craig McCray was arrested on May 2, 1996 by Palo Alto police from a special task force investigating auto burglaries and stolen cell phones.

On Dec. 1, McCray was convicted of four felony charges: auto theft, possession of stolen property and two counts of theft and cellular access. Police said his two previous strikes included armed robbery, residential burglary and assault causing bodily injury. Under the three strikes law, McCray will not be eligible for parole for at least 28 years.

McCray, who was on parole at the time of his arrest, came under police scrutiny during an investigation into the "cloning" of cellular phones, police said. According to Det. Jim Coffman, "cloners" reprogram stolen cell phones using fraudulently obtained electronic serial numbers.

The car burglary rate in Palo Alto has fallen from an average of 100 cases per month in 1996 to an average of 60 cases per month in 1997 since the Police Cell Phone Task Force was created in 1996, Coffman said. But according to police, people are still leaving their valuables in plain view.

"Even when a phone is hidden under the seat, the power cable connected to the cigarette lighter can be an invitation to a window smash," Coffman said.

Coffman advised people to store all valuables, including cell phones, in a safe place where they cannot be seen from outside the vehicle.

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