SAN RAFAEL— An idle mind is the devil’s workshop, right? An unemployed man suspected of going on a vandalism spree for months was arrested last week. More than 30 storefront windows were broken since August, but that’s not all his alleged misdeeds.
Some of the broken panes cost more than $400 apiece, and the vandalism cast an unsavory atmosphere for shoppers. Boarded windows negatively affected downtown—even if only temporarily.
The vandal became a regular nuisance to local business owners and a pain for others. Indeed, the same suspect also allegedly made annoying calls to 911, and he got in trouble for drugs.
Nevertheless, catching the culprit using a rock to break windows wasn’t easy. Despite the pervasiveness of video surveillance cameras, sometimes the quality of the video is poor. Maybe the focus is bad. Other times, the suspect is too far away from the camera, or at a bad camera angle.
Finally, the suspect clearly presented himself to police breaking a window—in a higher quality video. This time, the video image was perfect for authorities to make a preliminary identification of the suspect.
On the lookout, foot patrol officers spotted the suspect walking near downtown, on Andersen Drive near Albert Park. On December 6 at 9:50 a.m., Miguel A. Parra, 47 of San Rafael, was arrested on suspicion of committing 12 separate instances of vandalism.
The investigation remains open. Police are continuing to investigate numerous other instances of broken windows, which Parra may be responsible for smashing.
In addition, Parra was booked for an outstanding warrant for making annoying calls to 911. Besides that, Parra had an outstanding bench warrant for being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Parra remains in custody at Marin County Jail in lieu of $65,000 bond.
