CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Prowler Caught Canvassing Elk Grove Neighborhood
ELK GROVE (CBS13) — Police made an arrest on a neighborhood prowler thanks to neighbors with multiple cameras.
"It wasn't 'till I saw the video footage that I realized somebody was in my yard," said Donovan Padayachee.
His cameras caught a chilling sight, a stranger trying to break into his home.
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"He jumped over the fence and then was going to the side and then looking through the window," he said.
The suspect he said peered into his children's bedroom.
"It was pretty scary," he added.
Padayachee owns one of two Elk Grove homes that 23-year-old Deshawn Stevenson is accused of trying to break into over the weekend.
Stevenson was arrested for prowling and attempted burglary
"[He] definitely was looking for that opportunity for that unlocked door to get in," said Officer Jason Jimenez with the Elk Grove Police Department.
Police say Stevenson was canvassing the neighborhood. The crime spree in the neighborhood was caught on several other security cameras including the home of retired Sac PD Officer Steve Reed.
"It kind of woke me up but I didn't know what it was at first," said Steve Reed.
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He heard a noise, then pulled up his surveillance video.
"He was probably six to eight feet from where I was sleeping and I kind of got a chill down my spine," Reed said.
Immediately he called the police.
"When officers came I sent them both emails with a video so they had the video right there, face shots and everything," he said.
Cameras are making it much easier for investigators to catch the crooks.
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"The advancements in technology is extremely helpful for us because we have that footage that we can then connect those cases together," Jimenez said.
Police say you can help protect yourself by keeping the doors locked and just like your vehicle, keeping your valuables out of sight.
