Alert Resident Credited With Capture Of Santa Cruz Prowler

SANTA CRUZ, CA — A homeless man accused of prowling was arrested last week in Santa Cruz. A vigilant resident alerted police to the prowler who discovered in a backyard located in the 100 block of South Park Way, police said. Although the suspect ran from the property, the quick-thinking resident was able to help direct authorities to his location by following the him from a safe distance.

Police and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office eventually tracked the suspect, who fled to Arana Gulch in an effort to escape capture. The man, later identified as 41-year-old Craig Souza, was arrested on suspicion of prowling, resisting arrest and a felony flash incarceration hold.

Photo courtesy Santa Cruz Police Department