Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to a prowling incident at a residence on 24th Street. The suspect, Charles Marcell Newman, is a parolee at large and an out-of-compliance sex registrant. Newman has a history of similar crimes and is currently being held without bail. Guest Author reported
In the early morning hours of Wednesday, November 8, at 3:27 a.m., officers from the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) swiftly responded to a call reporting a prowler in the 200 block of 24th Street. The call was made by one of two off-duty law enforcement officers who were providing private security services for the homeowner. These officers had noticed the suspicious individual attempting to gain entry into the backyard of the residence. When the SMPD officers arrived at the scene, they found the suspect being detained by the security personnel in the driveway of the house.
The prowler was identified as Charles Marcell Newman, born on April 27, 1977, who is currently experiencing homelessness. Notably, Newman is a parolee at large and is also an out-of-compliance sex registrant. Furthermore, he is under investigation for burglary and trespassing in the Los Angeles area.
Interestingly, this was not the first time Newman had targeted the same Santa Monica residence. In both September and October, there were several reports of prowling incidents involving Newman. Surveillance video footage captured him attempting to open doors and windows around the perimeter of the house, as well as trying car door handles. Specifically, on October 31st of this year, Newman was caught on camera in the backyard, attempting to access the home through the windows. Detectives were able to identify him from the video footage and subsequently issued a warrant for his detention and questioning.
It is worth noting that Newman has a history of similar crimes. The SMPD had previously arrested him in 2012 and again in 2019 for offenses such as burglary, resisting arrest, and violating parole and probation. In both instances, Newman was convicted and served time in prison.
The SMPD detectives assigned to the case will present the evidence to the LA County District Attorney’s Office, requesting charges against Newman for completed burglary, multiple attempted burglaries, and a violation of his sex offender registration conditions. As of now, he is being held without bail for the parole violation. Newman’s first court appearance is scheduled for November 13th.
The SMPD urges anyone with information related to Newman or this incident to come forward and contact Detective Zamfirov at Peter.Zamfirov@santamonica.gov, Detective Sergeant Lozano at Alfonso.Lozano@santamonica.gov, or the Watch Commander (available 24/7) at 310-458-8427.
This report was submitted by Lieutenant Erika Aklufi.
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