Santa Cruz Police Investigate Two Early Morning Burglaries
SANTA CRUZ—In the early morning hours of the start of the New Year two Santa Cruz residences had uninvited burglarizing guests. The suspected burglars were arrested and spent New Year’s Day as guests of the Santa Cruz County jailhouse.
Jose Manuel Gomez
The two-attempted burglaries took place about a mile apart but were not related. The first break-in was reported to the Santa Cruz Police Department at 4:30 a.m.
When police arrived at the home on the 300 block of Walnut Avenue, they found a 23-year-old transient from Watsonville, Jose Manuel Gomez, urinating on the front porch of the victim’s home. He was taken into custody.
During an investigation, police learned from the victim that she awoke to find Gomez standing over her bed. She told police that her boyfriend was able to fight him off with a flare and a samurai sword.
Apparently, after Gomez fought with the victim’s boyfriend he ran out of the residence but later returned and that is when police found him. He was identified by the victims and booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on first-degree burglary charges. His bail was set at $50,000.
Gomez has an extensive history of trespassing and sexual battery. “We requested the enhancement to the bail because this guy posed a danger to the community,” Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Steve Clark said. “We did not want this guy getting out and retaliating against the victims.”
The second burglary was reported to police at 5:56 a.m. When police arrived at the residence on the 100 block on Pearl Street they learned that the victim was awakened by a noise in the bathroom.
The victim, seeing that there was a light on in the bathroom went to investigate and saw the suspect climbing out of the bathroom window and into an apartment next door. When police arrived they located the suspect in the vacant apartment.
The apartment had belonged to his family but was vacated some time ago. The 16-year-old suspect from Santa Cruz was found to be in possession of a pair of the victim’s underpants. He was arrested and booked into Santa Cruz County’s Juvenile Hall on a charge of burglary. His name is being withheld because he is a minor.
“The first suspect gained entry into the house by removing a screen door and unlocking the patio glass door,” Deputy Chief Clark said. “The second guy gained entry by jumping up and fitting through a bathroom window.”
The Santa Cruz Police Department wants to remind everyone to be safe and lock their windows and doors at night.
Read More:
Santa Cruz Patch: Police Start the New Year With Two Burglary Arrests
