A Redondo Beach man, recently released from prison, was arrested last week for a string of Hermosa Beach burglaries during the month of October.

According to Hermosa Beach Det. Brian Smyth, officers arrested 42-year-old Bill Stinson Bounsall Nov. 27 at his home in Redondo Beach following a home burglary in the 1200 block of Sixth Street in Hermosa Beach, reported earlier that day.

“We think he may be responsible for several burglaries in Redondo Beach as well,” said Smyth. “We have not filed any cases in there yet, but we hope to after a viewing of the stolen items and residents are able to identify items taken from their homes.” 

Police found a tool in Bounsall’s car he allegedly used to break into the home and possibly 10 others in Hermosa Beach. Police believe he stole items, mainly jewelry, from Hermosa Beach residents worth between $30,000 and $50,000.

“Bounsall was a former jeweler, so he knows how to get rid of the stuff,” added Smyth. “In the past, he would usually burglarize a home in the area and pawn the items in Nevada, and then burglarize a home in Nevada and pawn the stuff here, so he was hard to track.”

Detectives found jewelry, and small amounts of methamphetamines and marijuana he tried to flush down the toilet when confronted by police at his home in the 2000 block of Artesia Boulevard Nov. 27.

Police believe Bounsall stole jewelry in this most recent burglary and may have pawned other items stolen from the home outside the area. Police recovered the stolen jewelry from a drain catch. During the time of the crimes, Bounsall worked as a plumber for a Redondo Beach-based company.

In 1992, Bounsall was convicted of a series of burglaries in Torrance and recently served the last eight years of a 10-year sentence for this conviction and another conviction in Nevada for receiving stolen goods.

Bounsall was recently released on parole but became a suspect in the burglaries after officers from the Torrance and Hermosa Beach Police departments compared similarities in the recent crimes with the Torrance burglaries.

“We sent out an alert to other police departments and the crime analysis department in Torrance recognized the m.o. (mode of operation) from previous crimes that occurred in Torrance 10 years ago,” explained Smyth. “So the Torrance Police Department called me and really got the ball rolling.”

Following nine burglaries beginning Aug. 5, Hermosa Beach Police issued a public alert to residents, urging them to be aware of any suspicious people in their neighborhoods and to keep their homes secured.

The crimes took place during different hours of the day and days of the week in the homes bounded by Anita Street, Prospect Avenue, Pacific Coast Highway and Artesia Boulevard.

Residents found their homes ransacked and the burglar usually stole jewelry. He also stole video cameras, CD players, other electronic equipment, a gun and a safe.

The burglar used stolen bedding such as pillowcases to carry the items.

Bounsall was arrested in August of 1992 following 45 burglaries in the city of Torrance. Officers tracked him down as he drove east on the Interstate 10 Freeway in Pomona. His car was packed with about $100,000 worth of stolen property.

At the time of the 1992 crimes, Bounsall had checked into the Proud Parrot Motor Hotel in Lomita. Police put him under surveillance and observed him as he drove to local pawnshops and a storage facility. On the day of his 1992 arrest, Bounsall checked out of the hotel.

Police believed he was on his way to Nevada and pulled him over. He was linked to numerous burglaries in Torrance, spanning a seven-month period. Police believe he profited from $220,000 worth of stolen goods belonging to Torrance residents.

In all of the burglaries in Hermosa Beach and Torrance, a door or rear or side window was pried open.

A resident reported the Sixth Street burglary last Wednesday around 2 p.m., and Smyth and Sgt. Steve Endom visited Bounsall at his Redondo Beach apartment.

When the officers arrived, Bounsall allegedly fled to the bathroom. The jewelry was later identified as the items stolen in the burglary. Bounsall was booked on suspicion of burglary.

The burglaries could be his third-strike conviction which comes with a 25-years-to-life prison sentence.

Bounsall is still in custody at the Los Angeles County jail.