Santa Rosa Boy Home From School Helps Deputies Catch Burglar
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) - A 12-year-old boy who stayed home from school Wednesday because he was ill helped the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office arrest a woman who burglarized his home, a sheriff's sergeant said.
The boy's uncle was watching him but briefly left their Rincon Avenue home just north of Santa Rosa in unincorporated Sonoma County to go to a store, sheriff's Sgt. Mike Raasch said.
When the boy heard a knock on the door, he looked out a window and saw a woman standing at the door, Raasch said.
He did not recognize the woman and went to his parents' bedroom. He then heard someone in the house, saw the woman inside the house, ran to another room and then saw the woman leave the house with his laptop computer, Raasch said.
The boy got a good look at the woman and memorized the license plate of the car she drove away in, then called 911, according to Raasch.
Sheriff's deputies responded around 11 a.m. and, using the license plate number, determined the burglary suspect was 41-year-old Karen Holman of Santa Rosa, Raasch said.
A deputy spotted Holman driving near Maria Carrillo High School around 1:15 p.m. and arrested her on suspicion of first-degree burglary and possession of stolen property, Raasch said.
Holman's 16-year-old daughter also was in the vehicle and she was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property when she tried to leave with the laptop computer, Raasch said.
The teen was not involved in the burglary but she told the deputy she found the computer. She was booked into Sonoma County juvenile hall, according to Raasch.
Sheriff's detectives recognized Holman's name because she was arrested for several other residential burglaries in 2009, Raasch said. She was convicted of first-degree residential burglary and possession of stolen property and was sentenced to prison, he said.
Holman was booked into Sonoma County Jail under $40,000 bail for first-degree residential burglary and possession of stolen property. She is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in Sonoma County Superior Court.
Detectives also learned Holman recently had sold to a local pawn shop a distinctive Hawaiian-style guitar they believe was stolen, Raasch said.
Anyone with information about the guitar is asked to call Detective Tony King at (707) 565-2838.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
