Napa Police Arrest Suspected Prowler in Possession of Meth

By Bay City News Service.

Police arrested a prowler in possession of methamphetamine early Tuesday morning after a resident saw him peering into his home and tackled him, police said.

At 12:09 a.m. Tuesday, officers received a report of someone trying to break into a van in the 2500 block of Indiana Street.

The suspect was described to police as wearing a black shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. He was about 6 feet tall and had a shaved head, police said.

Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect.

Then, at 12:31 a.m., officers were dispatched to a home in the 100 block of Cherryview Court, about half a mile from where the attempted auto burglary occurred, after receiving a report of a burglary suspect who had been detained by a resident in the home's yard.

Officers found a resident standing over the suspect, who was later identified as 32-year-old Napa resident Matthew Steven Allen, police said.

Allen matched the description of the person who had tried to burglarize the van, police said.

Police took Allen into custody and searched him, and found a substance believed to be methamphetamine. Hypodermic needles were found in his jeans pocket, police said.

The resident who detained Allen told police he was asleep when his dog began to bark downstairs. His wife went downstairs and saw someone in the backyard.

Allen was standing inches from the back door looking into the
home, according to police.

The resident opened the door and tackled Allen to the ground and held him there until officers arrived, police said. The victim told police he had never seen Allen before.

Allen was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, being under the influence of a controlled substance, violation of probation and prowling, police said.

An earlier version of this story appeared Tuesday in Patch.