Mom, two kids arrive home to find stranger trying on clothes, California police say

A mother and her two children returned home to discover a stranger trying on clothes in a bedroom, California police reported.

The man spontaneously told them his first name in the incident around 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, Sausalito police said in a news release.

Fearing for their safety, the mom and kids ran out of the home, police said. The woman called her husband, who notified police.

Officers searched the home but could not find the intruder, police said.

A parking enforcement officer saw a man matching the prowler’s description walking in south Sausalito and notified officers, who arrested him after the woman identified him, police said.

He was found with stolen mail, checks, and credit cards along with a dagger and burglary tools, police said.

The 34-year-old Oakland man faces charges of burglary, possession of a dagger and identity theft/fraud, police said.

Investigators also identified him as a man seen trying to break into another home in photos taken by a “vigilant” neighbor earlier Feb. 2, police said. He was unable to get in and fled.

Sausalito is about 10 miles north of San Francisco.

This story was originally published February 7, 2024 at 9:43 AM with the headline "Mom, two kids arrive home to find stranger trying on clothes, California police say."