San Mateo Burglary Suspect Accused of Inappropriately Touching Woman While She Slept
Above: Cristian Josue Canel-Sian | San Mateo PD
Authorities in San Mateo County have announced the arrest of a primary suspect in five burglaries, during one of which he is accused of touching a woman while she slept.
In a press release issued Monday, March 27, Redwood City PD identified local man Cristian Josue Canel-Sian, 21, as the suspect in question.
The case has been under investigation since January, police said, with the Investigations Unit initially looking into three burglaries, all of which involved “female residents encountering an unknown, uninvited male either entering or inside their home.”
Police say that two of the burglaries had occurred while the victims were home asleep. In all cases, the suspect fled the scene when confronted, prior to the arrival of police.
Although each victim provided a similar description of the suspect, investigators could not obtain sufficient evidence for identification at any of the crime scenes, police said.
During one of the burglaries, which occurred in the early morning hours of March 19, the suspect allegedly entered a woman’s home and touched her inappropriately while she slept. The victim confronted him and he reportedly barricaded himself in the bathroom before fleeing through an exterior window. He was gone by the time police arrived.
Police canvassed the area and, while they did not locate the suspect at that time, they obtained surveillance video and other evidence which helped make a positive identification, as well as linking the suspect to a total of five burglaries.
The majority of the burglaries took place on the 1200-1300 block of Ebener, police said.
Soon after being identified as the suspect, Canel-Sian was arrested at his home on suspicion of touching a person intimately against their will for sexual arousal, first-degree burglary, and disorderly conduct. He was booked at the San Mateo County jail.
Investigators also served search warrants at both Canel-Sian’s home and place of work.
Police are calling on anyone who may have been victims of Canel-Sian’s activities to contact Detective James Schneider at 650-780-7607.
