Mesa father and 10-year-old son arrested after arts center burglary, botched water bottle retrieval

Coverage spread: 2 sources — 2 unrated

Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.

Where they agree

Mesa police say 31-year-old Jean Zintz broke into the Mesa Contemporary Arts building on Aug. 19 with his 10-year-old son.

Where they differ

The son allegedly stole about $7,350 in jewelry, while Zintz is accused of taking a Bluetooth speaker and a piece of cactus.
The two were caught the next day after returning to retrieve a water bottle Zintz left behind, then fled before being stopped and detained.
The stolen jewelry was recovered, and Zintz admitted involvement, saying he planned to fly the items to Washington state.

FOX 10’s detailed report includes Zintz’s bond amount ($40,000 cash-only), travel restrictions, prior criminal history, and preliminary hearing date, details 12News’ brief item omits.
12News frames its short piece around the recovery of the jewelry, while FOX 10 emphasizes the sequence of the burglary and the water-bottle-triggered arrest.
FOX 10’s nightly roundup version buries the burglary story amid unrelated local items (an ED drug study, an ASU athlete’s hospitalization, an H-1B visa fee proposal), giving it far less depth than FOX 10’s dedicated article.

Mesa police say a man and his 10-year-old son broke into the Mesa Arts Center, then got caught retrieving a forgotten water bottle.

A 31-year-old man has been arrested and jailed on multiple charges after Mesa police say he broke into the Mesa Arts Center with his 10-year-old son and stole thousands of dollars in jewelry. The pair was caught the following day when they returned to the arts center to retrieve a water bottle left behind during the burglary, prompting a foot chase, a vehicle stop and their detention.

What exactly happened at the Mesa Arts Center?

According to a Mesa Police Department statement released Aug. 24, the burglary took place around 2 p.m. on Aug. 19. Police say 31-year-old Jean Zintz forced open a locked door at the Mesa Contemporary Arts building, damaging it in the process. Once inside, his 10-year-old son allegedly stole about $7,350 worth of jewelry. Zintz himself is accused of taking a Bluetooth speaker and a piece of cactus belonging to the City of Mesa. Police have not released the son’s name.

Why did the pair get caught?

Investigators say Zintz and his son came back to the Mesa Arts Center on Aug. 20 — the day after the burglary — to retrieve a water bottle Zintz had left behind at the scene. When the two realized officers were responding to the property, they fled on foot and left in Zintz’s vehicle. Detectives tracked down the car, made a traffic stop, and detained both Zintz and his son.

What did investigators find afterward?

A search of the location where Zintz and his son were staying turned up the allegedly stolen property, including the jewelry, along with clothing believed to have been worn during the break-in. During questioning, Zintz reportedly admitted to his and his son’s involvement and told detectives he intended to take the stolen items with him to Washington state, where he had a flight scheduled that same day.

What charges and criminal history are involved?

Mesa police say Zintz faces multiple charges connected to the burglary, though FOX 10’s report of the department’s full charge list was not detailed beyond the underlying allegations. Court documents cited by FOX 10 show Zintz has prior convictions for criminal trespass, obstructing law enforcement, theft, stalking, and violating an order of protection. A judge set a $40,000 cash-only bond. If Zintz posts that bond, he would face restrictions including a prohibition on leaving Arizona. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31.

Was the stolen jewelry recovered?

Yes. 12News reports the roughly $7,000 in jewelry taken from the Mesa Arts Center was recovered by police, consistent with FOX 10’s account that the stolen property was found during the search of Zintz’s lodging.

Why this story stood out

The case drew attention largely because of its odd twist: the suspects were apprehended not during the original break-in but the next day, after returning to the scene for a forgotten water bottle. It appeared alongside other local items in FOX 10’s Aug. 24 nightly roundup, including a study linking an erectile dysfunction and enlarged prostate drug to increased glaucoma risk, an ASU hockey player’s hospitalization after collapsing during exercise, an arrest in an online child-solicitation sting, a proposed $103,265 federal fee for H-1B visas, and near-record heat forecast for the Phoenix area — underscoring that this was one local news item among a broader daily news digest rather than a standalone deep investigation.

Sources

Featured photo: Bill Walsh via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)