Man Allegedly Breaks Into Historic Luther Burbank Home, Arrested This Morning

A Santa Rosa police K-9 unit apprehended a man who allegedly broke into the historic Luther Burbank Home and Gardens building early this morning, a police sergeant said.

Police officers responded around 2:15 a.m. to an alarm at the site at Sonoma and Santa Rosa avenues and discovered a broken window on the south side of the Luther Burbank home, Sgt. Jonathan Wolf said.

K-9 Officer Luis Pena announced he and his dog Hoss were going to search the building in order to give an opportunity for anyone inside to submit to police custody, Wolf said.

When no one responded, the dog entered the building and another officer saw a man inside who had his hands tucked up against his chest and who was holding a black object, Wolf said. When the man did not respond to the officer’s commands to show his hands and get on the ground, the dog bit the suspect’s arm and leg and he fell to the ground, Wolf said. He was then taken into custody.

Police determined there was no one else in the building and that the suspect broke a window to get inside, Wolf said. The suspect also had defecated on the floor and ripped an alarm panel from the wall, the sergeant said.

The suspect was treated at a hospital for dog bites and was then booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of trespassing, vandalism and resisting arrest. His name has not yet been released, Wolf said.

Luther Burbank Home and Gardens is named after the celebrated horticulturist who lived there for more than 50 years and conducted plant-breeding experiments there that brought him world fame, according to the building’s website.

Bay City News

Photo via Luther Burbank Home & Gardens on Facebook