By admin 
MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — A father is facing multiple felony charges after police say he took his 10-year-old son along to burglarize the Mesa Arts Center, then came back for a cup he’d left at the scene.
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Jean Zintz, 31, and his son reportedly broke into the Mesa Arts Center last Wednesday around 2 p.m., according to Mesa police.
According to court documents, surveillance cameras captured Zintz and his son arriving at the Sirrine parking garage next to the arts center in a white 2020 Chevrolet Silverado, then walking the property and pulling on the doors of several locked buildings.
At one point, the two reportedly walked out of camera view and returned carrying a piece of a totem pole cactus, court documents said. Zintz then carried the cactus back to his truck and placed it in the bed.
The pair then reportedly walked up the locked Mesa Contemporary Arts building, which was closed while new art displays were being installed. According to court documents, Zintz aggressively pulled on a locked exterior door, breaking its locking mechanism, and the two went inside.
Once inside, they went downstairs into the Brutal Beauty and Zarco Guerrero galleries, where the son allegedly went up to two jewelry mannequins and pocketed four pieces of jewelry worth a combined value of about $7,350.
Court documents described the stolen jewelry as a sterling silver “Trouble” necklace valued at $2,100, a sterling silver self-portrait bolo valued at $3,000, a sterling silver “Rockstar” bracelet valued at $650, and a “Cheii Rockstar” bracelet valued at $1,600.
Investigators say the boy signed his name in a gallery sign-in book and later wrote his name on artwork he made inside a neighboring art studio. Zintz allegedly left a stainless-steel cup behind in that studio.
The next day, detectives identified Zintz and his son and linked them to the man’s parents’ home in Mesa. He was visiting from Washington state.
Police say the two returned to the arts center that day to retrieve the stainless-steel cup Zintz had left behind, but as museum staff tried to call police, the two ran to their vehicle and sped off.
Detectives tracked down the truck, with the partial cactus still inside the bed, and detained both Zintz and his son.
Documents said Zintz admitted he was somewhere he shouldn’t have been and that he knew his son had stolen jewelry.
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He also reportedly admitted to stealing a Bluetooth speaker belonging to an employee, along with the cactus.
Police say Zintz admitted the two were involved in the burglary and told detectives he was planning to fly to Washington later that day with the stolen goods in tow.
Investigators served a search warrant at Zintz’s parents’ home in Mesa. There, they say they found the stolen goods, along with clothing believed to have been worn during the burglary.
Community, psychologist react
A veteran who teaches a beginning metal sculpture class at the Mesa Arts Center, who only wanted to go by Chuck, said the facility is one of the top-rated art centers in the Valley.
“This stuff is donated to us and put on displays and someone comes in and steals it,” Chuck said. “Using your kid, that’s kind of low, as low as you can get.”
Forensic psychologist John De La Torre said father-son burglaries are rare.
“It’s just so bizarre. It’s just bizarre,” De La Torre said.
De La Torre said there may be a calculated reason behind it, such as the father was using his son as a shield from stronger consequences.
“If my son does it, he doesn’t get punished. If I do it, I get punished a lot,” De La Torre said.
Zintz was booked into jail on three counts of burglary, three counts of theft, criminal damage and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He remains in custody on a $40,000 bond.
Police say his 10-year-old son was also booked into a juvenile facility on burglary charges.
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