Palo Alto: Woman arrested after breaking into home with family inside

Palo Alto police have charged a 52-year-old woman with felony burglary after she entered a house last week and stole a purse while a family with children was still inside.

Police say they received a call from a family of four at 9:36 p.m. Friday evening reporting that a woman had just entered their home on Byron Street near Rinconada Park. The mother, a woman in her 40s, said she had heard footsteps downstairs but assumed it was a family member.

Shortly after, the woman and her husband checked their security cameras and saw that a woman had entered through an unlocked front door, stole a purse and a jacket, and exited through a gate in the side yard.

Police responded to the area but were unable to locate the intruder. Then, about an hour later, the dispatch center received another call about a woman “prowling” the front porch of a home just a few blocks away.

According to Palo Alto police, officers found the woman nearby at 10:39 p.m. and detained her “without incident.” Officers also found the stolen purse and jacket in her possession, as well as an unopened package that had been stolen from a house nearby.

The woman was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail for felony burglary and two misdemeanors. Police say the woman initially gave police fake names, and has no permanent address.

All the stolen items were returned to their owners.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to email paloalto@tipnow.org or call (650) 383-8984.