Police are keeping a sharp eye out for the Santa Ana prowler but they advise the public to make the randy renegade’s job harder for him, by locking the doors and closing their windows at night. He’ll take anything he can get his hands on and he especially likes to get his hands on his female victims.
Santa Ana Prowler
Police in Santa Ana, California have a serial prowler on their hands. Half the problem is that local residents make it so darn easy for him. The unidentified masked Hispanic male is accused of at least five break-ins. Two of those involved molestation of the female residents while they were trying to sleep.
Authorities don’t have the funding or manpower resources to protect the public, so they issued a “community advisory” warning residents to take the law into their own hands. Residents at the Villa del Sol apartment complex are warned to be especially vigilant because that’s where the prowler has been romping around all week.
It wouldn’t be so easy for the prowler to gain entry if folks would bother to lock their doors and windows at night. According to Corporal Maria Lopez, the police are afraid of the “very concerning escalation” of events. “In two of the burglaries, the suspect touched and/or groped the female victims in their sleep.”
Rummaging through his belongings
When Cesar Torres woke up, “a man wearing a mask and a puffy jacket” was standing at the foot of his bed, “rummaging through his belongings.” His girlfriend was asleep beside him. He didn’t care as much about the laptop, wallet, money and some jewelry as he did about her. He “went into protection mode,” leapt out of bed and chased the equally startled prowler back out the the sliding glass door he broke in through. Still he’s worried about what the perp could do next. “There are a lot of women, girls and kids there. Someone like that shouldn’t be out. I hope they really get him.”
Police aren’t real hopeful about rounding the elusive prowler up but they’re “investigating five separate nighttime burglaries all at the Villa del Sol apartments, since last Saturday.” Nobody can give them much of a description other than about 5’8″, male and Hispanic. “The women are being startled. They’re asleep, so that’s why vague description at this point.” Police went door-to-door alerting residents to be alert and prepared to defend themselves.
Corporate owners of the complex issued a self-serving press release about the prowler. “We are deeply saddened by the fact that what has been a very safe home for the residents of our 562 apartments is now experiencing an intrusion.” They’re browbeating the police over it and don’t want anyone to move, assuring residents “we have increased our security patrol at the property. We want to assure all of our residents that we are totally committed to their safety and peaceful enjoyment of their home.”
