PETALUMA – On Thursday April 23, Petaluma Police Department (PPD) issued a News Release about a resident finding an apparent burglar asleep on her couch.
At approximately 2 pm, a resident on the 1600 block of Caulfield Lane descended the stairs from her upstairs bedroom to find an unknown man asleep on her living room couch. She retreated back up the stairs to her bedroom where she locked herself in and called 911.
PPD Officers arrived on the scene and established a perimeter around the vicinity of the home. The Officers then directed dispatchers to have the woman flee the residence. When the woman came down the stairs to the front door, the suspect had awoke and then ran out of the back of the house. He kicked two fence boards out of the fence and fled into the yard behind the victim’s home.
Adams tried to escape through the back yard, and was captured when he appeared on Putnam Way.
Sergeant Paul Gilman and Officer John Silva were on Putnam Way, the street behind the victim’s residence. They saw the suspect as he emerged from the backyard of the house on Putnam Way. The suspect initially failed to follow the commands of the officers to get down on his knees. He finally complied, but when officers attempted to detain him in handcuffs he began to fight them.
Officers were forced to deploy a Taser twice to overcome the suspect’s resistance. He finally complied and put his hands behind his back. He was then handcuffed and transported to a local area hospital for medical clearance, a routine procedure. Neither the suspect nor officers were injured. The suspect was to be evaluated for being under the influence.
Investigators are determining what the suspect did while he was inside the house, though burglary appears to be the motive. So far it appears that the suspect may have been eating the victim’s food. There was no sign of forced entry and it is unknown how he gained access. The victim has not noticed anything missing at this time other than the food.
The suspect has been identified as 44-year-old James Adams of Placerville. He has a history of arrests in California and Oregon, including being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of weapons, battery on a peace officer, felony DUI, possession of narcotics, violation of probation, and resisting arrest. Adams was transported to Sonoma County Jail and charged with burglary and resisting arrest. His bail has been set at $30,000.
