A recent string of vehicle-related crimes has come to a close with the arrest of 37-year-old Petaluma resident Garrett Stauss. On Monday morning, a report of a stolen car from an apartment complex parking garage on Water Street, where the vehicle was lifted using a spare key pilfered from a relative's car. The Petaluma Police Department's sleuthing, complete with latent fingerprint-lifting and video footage analysis, pinpointed Stauss as the alleged car thief.
Stauss, it appears, dared to return the stolen property, parking it just across the street from its original location. The Petaluma police officers, supplemented by a comprehensive surveillance effort, apprehended the suspect one day later, on Tuesday. The suspect is now facing charges for vehicle theft and possession of stolen property, according to the Petaluma Police Department.
The Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies were already on Stauss's trail for other vandalism offenses. In the belongings stowed away in the stolen car were found burglary tools and evidence signaling Stauss's broader misdeeds. The Petaluma Police Department utilized this incident to reinforce the benefit of community cooperation, urging businesses and residents with security cameras to register with the Petaluma Police Security Camera Registry Program. This initiative, positioned as a communal safety net, promises no direct access to feeds by the police, unless they believe your camera may have captured footage pertinent to a criminal investigation.
