Belmont Tool Thief to Stand Trial

A Pacifica man who police say wedged open a storage unit in a Belmont apartment complex and stole tools, then fled and entered an unlocked home where he sat on the couch next to a woman before being arrested on May 4, was arraigned in San Mateo Superior Court on Tuesday and will stand trial for his alleged crime.

According to the San Mateo District Attorney’s office, Mitchell James Borden, 25, pulled his car into the carport of the apartment complex on Village Court in Belmont, where he opened a storage unit and took tools.  A neighbor witnessing the theft yelled at Borden and called police. Borden allegedly then jumped into a car occupied by his girlfriend and fled the neighborhood with Belmont police in pursuit. 

Police say the suspect then bailed out of the car in the parking lot of a Belmont convalescent home, leaving his girlfriend and the tools behind. A foot chase followed, with the suspect jumping a fence to elude officers.

Borden then allegedly entered the unlocked home of a 44 year-old woman and sat on the couch next to where the woman was working on her computer, telling her he was on the run from the police for drunk driving. The terrified woman later told police the suspect quietly reached toward her and she pulled away. Borden was arrested when officers conducting a search found him in the woman’s home.

At the time of his arrest, police say Borden had three warrants for his arrest pending, the district attorney's office said.

On Tuesday, Borden pleaded not guilty, and Criminal Presiding Judge Jonathan Karesh set the trial date for Sept. 3, 2013. A pretrial conference will be held on July 29, 2013. Nicole A. Sato is the deputy district attorney on the case.

Borden remains in custody in $175,000 bail. His court-appointed defense attorney is Tom Kelly.