The arrest of one man for suspicion of burglary may lead to the solving of several similar heists.
A Lompoc man accused of burglarizing a Morro Bay art gallery has reportedly been linked to several other recent break-ins by the Sheriff’s Department.
According to Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Cipolla, Ryan Michael Coats, 27 of Lompoc, was re-arrested June 10 on suspicion of committing four felony burglaries and one attempted burglary.
Coats had also been arrested May 31 in connection with a 3:45 a.m. burglary at By the Bay Gallery in the 800 block of Embarcadero in Morro Bay.
In that case, officers responded to a burglar alarm arriving within minutes to find the front window smashed. The store owner responded and indicated a significant amount of jewelry had been stolen.
A short time later, Sheriff’s Deputies on patrol in Morro Bay stopped a suspicious vehicle after the driver committed some vehicle code violation.
Morro Bay Police Cmdr. Tony Mosqueda said Sheriff’s deputies “observed narcotics and drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle.”
A search of the car reportedly discovered “a large quantity of jewelry.”
MBPD officers responded to the scene and were reportedly able to identify most of the recovered jewelry suspected to be property stolen from the gallery just a short time earlier.
Coats was arrested and booked into County Jail but was soon released on bail.
The other suspicious items allegedly discovered in Coats’ vehicle led Sheriff’s detectives to further investigate him.
“The investigation identified a series of commercial burglaries that began in April 2026 and occurred at multiple locations throughout the county,” Cipolla said.
Those other cases were in Cambria, Cayucos, San Simeon and Templeton, Cipolla said.
Businesses that had been burgled included the Cambria Post Office, Artifacts Gallery in Cambria, McLean Jewelry in Cayucos and Upscale Resale in Templeton.
At least three — McLeans, Upscale Resale and By the Bay Gallery — were similar in that the burglar smashed a window or glass door to gain entry. However, video from the McLeans Jewelry burglary shows two men inside the Ocean Avenue store.
Detectives searched locations in Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo and reportedly discovered more evidence from the other crimes.
“At the time of his arrest,” Cipolla said, “Coats was found in possession of stolen property connected to a commercial burglary that had occurred earlier that same day in San Luis Obispo.”
He’s allegedly been on a crime spree. “Detectives also believe that Coats is associated with numerous burglaries outside of San Luis Obispo County,” Cipolla said.
His June 10 arrest was the result of another traffic stop in the 4700 block of Sante Fe Rd., in SLO. He was out on bail for the Morro Bay burglary at the time.
“Coats has an extensive criminal history,” Cipolla said, “that includes felony convictions in Santa Barbara County for possession of a stolen vehicle in 2019, assault with a deadly weapon in 2020, and grand theft in 2022.”
Detectives continue to investigate Coats and if anyone has information about him call the Sheriff’s detectives at: 805-781-4500.
