On October 1, 2015 at approximately 10:09 AM, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call of an in-progress residential burglary. A woman called from the 800 block of Gloria Drive in the Moorland area of Santa Rosa. She was calling on behalf of her neighbor who said that he had walked into his house and found a man therein.
Other neighbors called reporting that they saw the man jumping fences, running through backyards and adjacent fields. He was described as a white male, 45-50 years old, bald, with a goatee and covered in tattoos. He was wearing black shorts, a white shirt and carrying a backpack. The man had come into the area on a bike a little earlier and was not known to the local residents. He reportedly physically pushed a resident while fleeing the area following a verbal altercation.
Deputies quickly went into the neighborhood and set up a perimeter and searched with our K9, Shadow. Neighbors stood outside the front of the houses helping Deputies trying to spot the man in the area. They did not locate the man or his bicycle. It was suspected that he might’ve escaped to the rear of several houses. Still we maintained undercover detectives to the area in an effort to spot the crook.
A little more than an hour later, our dispatcher center received another call from a resident on Valerie Way. She confronted a man inside her home and he ran out the back door. The man matched the description of the suspect from earlier burglary. He was last seen running through backyards in the area of Dutton and Southwood. Deputies, our K9 team, and the Detectives scoured the area where he likely fled. The California Highway Patrol sent their helicopter, H30, to aid us in the search as well as Santa Rosa Police Department.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office was grateful for the assistance from the neighbors in the search for the man. They demonstrated support for each other and for us, in our efforts to apprehend the suspicious man. Their quick action and solidarity likely prevented a more serious crime from occurring. Thankfully, no one was injured and nothing was immediately noticed as having been stolen.
Anyone with information about the crime is encouraged to call the Investigations Tip Line at 707-565-2185.
Prepared by Sergeant Cecile Focha
Media Relations/PIO
Case #151001-008
