Prowler hits Felton neighborhood, deputies look for information

A prowler hits two homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains. That’s according to the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Department. Now deputies are asking for the public for more information.

Residents said they’re on high alert after several cases, reportedly involving the same man. One of the victims in last week’s attempted break-in said she’s not taking any chances.

“Locking everything up, making sure all the windows are locked, even on a warm day when I’d like to leave them open,” said resident Jennifer Brenchley.

When temperatures reach into the 80s in Felton, Brenchley said some people near the intersection of Russell Avenue and Gushee Street like to let the breeze through. Not the case this time after she said a man tried to break into her house last Wednesday evening. Brenchley said the suspect tried to get in through that side window, while her daughter was on the other side.

“We were all going to bed and the house was pretty much dark except for the bathroom light and my daughter was taking a shower and she just heard someone tapping on the window,” Brenchley said.

Evidence of the sheriff’s department’s investigation is still on the window.

“You know, it was kind of nerve-wracking the first night,” Brenchley said.

Brenchley’s house wasn’t the only house hit that night. Deputies said a suspect broke into a home in the 100 block of Redwood Drive, tried talking with a 2-year-old girl and was scared off when she shouted to her parents.

Deputies said they’re looking for a white male, 35 to 40 years old, 5’8″ to 5’10” tall, wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt with shoulder-length blonde hair.

“This is a very, very safe neighborhood. It has been for many years. So this is really a new thing that’s happening,” said resident Mary Mulligan.

We tried to speak with the sheriff’s department to get more information, but didn’t heard back yet Tuesday night. The department is asking everyone in the neighborhood to be on the lookout for anything suspicious.