Police arrest gloved man caught on camera lurking outside SLO woman’s home

Police on Wednesday said several tips submitted by residents led to the arrest of a man caught on camera early Saturday morning lurking outside a San Luis Obispo woman’s home.

Michael Dean Sutton, 38, of San Luis Obispo, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of attempted burglary. He was booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail and was being held in lieu of $25,000 bail late Wednesday afternoon.

Security camera images taken about 2:34 a.m. Saturday appeared to show a man checking the 45-year-old woman’s door handle and acting in a suspicious manner, according to the San Luis Obispo Police Department.

At one point, the man appeared to notice the camera and wipe debris from the lens before leaving the property, located off Foothill Boulevard, about 2 miles from Cal Poly.

The woman, who lives alone with her dog, previously told The Tribune she was alerted to the man’s presence when she heard a bell sound made by “Ring,” her motion-detecting video doorbell. Initially believing the man to be a drunken student trying to get into the wrong house — a common occurrence in the neighborhood — she reported the incident to police after reviewing the footage the following day.

During the investigation, police received several phone calls and messages on social media that led detectives to Sutton, Lt. John Bledsoe said Wednesday.

“The victim in this case put out her video on social media and we supported that,” Bledsoe said. “From that, we started receiving several calls about who the suspect might be ... and we were able to match the suspect in the victim’s video with photographs (obtained) of the suspect.”

After interviewing him, officers determined Sutton was the man in the video and arrested him on suspicion of attempted burglary.

Sutton has no criminal record in San Luis Obispo County, according to a review of local court records. Bledsoe said Sutton was not known to local officers prior to his arrest, and an investigation remains ongoing into whether he may have been involved in any other similar incidents in recent months.

Despite initial questions about whether the man in the video was carrying a handgun, because of a dark object that appears to be sticking out of his back pocket, Bledsoe said no gun was found during their contact with Sutton and investigators no longer believe he was armed with a gun during the attempted burglary. For investigative reasons, he declined to say what the object was.

The resident of the home said Wednesday that the news of Sutton’s arrest brought little relief because she said she doesn’t know what his motives were or how long he would remain in custody. However, the woman — who spoke to The Tribune as she was having a new alarm system installed at her home — said the incident has opened her eyes.

“I think, in all honesty, this incident has completely changed my life,” said the woman, whom The Tribune is not identifying. “I used to be very lax and used to never take safety precautions. But this stuff can happen anywhere at any time.”

She added: “It pays to be cautious, especially as a woman.”

Formal charges have yet to be filed against Sutton, and no arraignment date has been scheduled.

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Police arrest gloved man caught on camera lurking outside SLO woman’s home."