Man Suspected of Burglarizing Trump Campaign Office in Virginia Is Arrested in California

Toby Shane Kessler. Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office

The man suspected of burglarizing President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign office in Ashburn, Virginia, on Aug. 11 has been arrested in California, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday.

Toby Shane Kessler, 39, was arrested by the University of California San Francisco Police Department on Nov. 30 for squatting in an unoccupied campus dormitory, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Police believed that Kessler was behind the Aug. 11 break-in at Trump’s local campaign office in Ashburn. Surveillance footage showed that he broke in through the back door and spent only “a brief period” of time inside before leaving, the sheriff’s office said.

Kessler has been charged with burglary in connection with the case, though it was not specified if he had stolen anything.

“We appreciate the assistance of other law enforcement agencies and will provide updates as this case progresses,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Kessler was booked into a county jail in San Francisco and is facing 19 charges relating to other cases, including a fugitive felony warrant, trespassing, vandalism, and grand theft of personal property, according to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office.

No bond has been set at this time, and it is unclear whether he has been assigned an attorney.

The office at the 20000 block of Ashbrook Place is leased by the 2024 Trump campaign and also serves as the headquarters of the Virginia 10th District Republican Committee.

Three days after the burglary, county police issued an arrest warrant for Kessler and called on witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Surveillance footage showed the suspect was wearing dark clothing, a cap, and a backpack when he broke into the premises.

The Sheriff’s Office said at the time that it was unclear if Kessler had stolen anything from the office but he did not leave anything behind.

Police found that Kessler has no fixed address and a “history of criminal behavior.” He appeared to have been in the Washington Metropolitan Area at least since 2018 but has a California identification.

The motive behind the burglary is unknown, and Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman has described the case as unusual.

“It is rare to have the office of any political campaign or party broken into,” Chapman said in an Aug. 12 statement, pledging to investigate the incident and determine what, if anything, was taken.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the Trump transition team for comment but did not hear back as of publication time.