Santa Cruz man arrested for prowling

A 41-year-old Santa Cruz man is behind bars after prowling in a resident’s back yard.

Santa Cruz Police say last week, a homeowner saw a prowler in the backyard of their residence in the 100 block of South Park Way.

The homeowner called SCPD, and the suspect took off through Arana Gulch and into the Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction.

A neighbor followed the prowler from a safe distance and communicated with arriving Santa Cruz Police Department personnel in the area. As the suspect tried to escape the area, SCPD Officers coordinated a perimeter with Sheriff’s Deputies.

The prowler was caught near Soquel Avenue at 7th Avenue. 41-year-old Craig Souza, a transient, was ultimately arrested for prowling, resisting arrest and a felony flash incarceration hold. “Flash incarceration” is a period of detention in county jail due to a violation of an offender’s conditions of post-release supervision.

Officers say this situation is a great example of community teammwork.