Menifee Prowler Charged
MURRIETA (CNS) – A 29-year-old man accused of prowling around Menifee apartment complexes in an attempt to commit burglaries, going into one residence and fleeing when the occupants awoke, was charged Tuesday with first- degree burglary and other offenses.
Irving William Firtha Morrison of Menifee was arrested Thursday by Menifee Police Department personnel during a stakeout.
Along with burglary, Morrison is charged with sentence-enhancing allegations of engaging in violent conduct and perpetrating acts that pose a “serious danger to society.”
He pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Tuesday afternoon before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jeff Zimel, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Oct. 9 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
Morrison is being held in lieu of $35,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center.
According to the Menifee Police Department, detectives initiated an investigation in early September after receiving reports of an unknown man clad in dark clothing, roaming through apartment buildings in the predawn hours, grabbing door handles and pushing on doors to find ones that weren’t locked.
“Several (security) recordings of this individual were shared on social media platforms,” police spokesman Chase Coburn said.
He said that, in one instance, the prowler “entered an occupied home through an unlocked door but quickly fled when the residents awoke.”
Detectives began carrying out surveillance operations where they expected the prowler to appear and hit pay dirt in the early morning hours Thursday in the 30400 block of Town Center Drive, near Park Plaza Avenue, Coburn said.
“Detectives observed a subject matching the description of the person described in the previously reported incidents,” he said. “When detectives attempted to contact the subject, he fled, and a short foot chase occurred before he was taken into custody.”
No one was injured.
Morrison has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
Coburn said the incidents serve as a reminder to residents “to keep their doors locked, even while at home, and report any suspicious activity directly to police.”
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