Crime & Safety
Home Intruder Caught and Beaten, but Questions Abound
A Foothill Ranch break-in ends badly for an intruder.
By Martin Henderson
A break-in in Foothill Ranch had people talking after a resident caught the intruder in his home and gave him a whipping in the driveway. But it also had law enforcement officials puzzled.
The Jan. 14 incident took place shortly after 3 a.m., when a 17-year-old girl in the home awoke and screamed after discovering a man in her room.
According to the blotter of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the intruder attempted to grab the girl.
After hearing the girl scream, the suspect fled but was caught by a family member at the front of the house. The suspect was detained in the driveway while the daughter called 9-1-1. Deputies arrived within six minutes.
Carlos Humberto Chavez Perez, 28, was arrested after being taken to Saddleback Hospital for facial injuries, apparently the result of a father's wrath. He has been charged with residential burglary, child annoyance, unauthorized entry of a dwelling and battery.
Perez is in custody. After an enhancement for fear of Perez being a flight risk, bail was set at $250,000.
The blotter indicated a witness saw the suspect dropped off at the house by a vehicle—with a burned out front headlight—that drove away.
According to OCSD Sgt. Jason Keller of Lake Forest police services, the part of the story that has law enforcement scratching their heads is the incident is consistent with normal boyfriend/girlfriend drama common to such calls, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Neither party has indicated knowledge of the other and investigators can't find any connection between the man and the girl 11 years his junior.
Making the incident more confusing is the intruder went specifically to the upstairs room of the girl after entering the home.
"There's no indication it was random," Keller said. "There's no indication he's a burglar in the area. It's not a neighborhood that typically has nighttime burglaries. Why did he go up the stairs and go past these two bedrooms, and go into that specific bedroom?"
The 9-1-1 call originated at 3:10 a.m. from Touraine Place.
Editor's note: Article originally posted Thursday, 4:52 a.m. Updated to clarify and emphasize the victim and suspect are not boyfriend and girlfriend, and to source the information.
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