CV Man Attempted Breaking into Stanford Accelerator
A 46-year-old man from Castro Valley was arrested last Sunday, January 5, after he tried to break into the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. According to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, he appeared in court for the first time last week to face the crime.
Around 8:30 p.m., deputies received a report of a suspicious person with bolt cutters outside the facility—originally named the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center—on Sand Hill Road. Deputies report they saw Ronald Simpson of Castro Valley running toward Interstate 280, about a half mile away.
Deputies sent a Sheriff’s Office K-9 dog to help canvas the 426-acre property and found Simpson in some bushes nearby. Investigators later found numerous burglary tools and a damaged security fence.
Simpson was arrested for attempted burglary, possession of burglary tools, resisting arrest, vandalism, and two outstanding warrants related to stolen vehicles. He was booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said.
No motive was given for the attempted break-in. Stanford University and the U.S. Department of Energy run the site. It includes a 2-mile linear accelerator for research purposes.
Anyone with information about the intrusion or the man arrested is asked to contact Deputy Collins at tcollins1@smcgov.org or at 650-363-4911. Anonymous tips can also be left with the sheriff’s office at 800-547-2700.