Detectives have recovered tools, a plasma television, DVD player and jewelry from the apartment of Jamie Munoz, 23, and Michael Lucero, 26 in Uptown Albuquerque. The goods are believed to have been stolen primarily from residents of the East Mountains.

"They simply said they believed they were less likely to get caught in rural areas where homes were spread out," Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Erin Kinnard Thompson wrote in an e-mail.

There have been quite a few tips coming from concerned residents, she said. One of those residents, Debbie Battaglino said she carries a notepad to write down license plate numbers. She regularly calls the sheriff's department to report suspicious vehicles and refuses to be a victim, she said.

"I've totally had it," she said. "If they come in my house, I know how to run a chipper and I have pigs."

In this case, Munoz and Lucero were found — intact — by deputies on Sunday near a silver Saturn on N.M. 217. The vehicle was reported abandoned and matched the description of one associated with numerous burglaries in the area, according to a report.

Deputies followed footprints leading away from the vehicle and into the woods nearby where they found Munoz and Lucero hiding behind some bushes on private property.

The owner of the property requested that they be arrested for trespassing. When deputies searched the Saturn they also found a pound of marijuana.

Detectives have confirmed the suspects are linked with at least four of the burglaries in the area and, based on the method of the crimes, the two are also believed to be involved in as many as 20 burglaries. Most of the crimes were done during the daytime, while people are at work, and, though one crime may have taken place in Placitas, almost all of the burglaries took place in the East Mountains.

This is part of something of a trend going on, according to Thompson, who added that this is not the only arrest deputies have made for burglaries in the area.

"Detectives had noticed that the number of burglaries had gone up in the past few months. There were several other people arrested a couple of weeks ago that we believe were burglarizing homes in the East Mountains, but I don't get the impression that those were related to these arrests," she wrote. "Suspects were utilizing garages to get into the homes, so folks should make sure they have their homes secured at all times, including their garages, as much as possible. However, it is my impression that, for the most part, these were forced break-ins, and not situations where a door was left unlocked."