Security guard arrested in connection with burglary at St. Helena’s Beringer Vineyards
ST HELENA CA Jan 12 2020 — A security guard and a second man were arrested Tuesday in connection with a burglary Sunday night at the Beringer Vineyards production facility and administrative campus on Pratt Avenue in St. Helena.
The guard who had been on duty the night of the burglary, Treon Wayne Simon, 27, of Vallejo, was booked on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property, burglary and grand theft.
The second man, Sammy De Wayne Frazier, 28, of Vallejo, was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property.
Beringer employees arrived at work Monday morning and found offices ransacked and numerous items missing, including a 2016 Ford F-150 truck, laptops, cellphones, sports paraphernalia and vehicle keys. The items were valued at $50,000.
Police suspected the case was an inside job, according to Sgt. Steve Peterson.
Officer Todd Heald, the primary investigator on the case, obtained surveillance footage, contacted the security company under contract to Beringer, and found out that Simon had been on duty Sunday night, Peterson said.
Heald asked Vallejo police to stop by Simon’s house, Peterson said. On their way, Vallejo police spotted the stolen truck at a gas station, occupied by Simon, Frazier, and a woman.
Police detained Simon and Frazier and released the woman after determining she hadn’t been involved. After Heald interviewed both men in Vallejo, they were arrested and booked at the Napa County jail.
Except for the truck, none of the other missing items have been recovered, Peterson said.
