Alleged Lake Tahoe foot fondler identified, arrested
(KRON) — A man accused of breaking into a Lake Tahoe resort and fondling women’s feet has been apprehended, sheriff’s investigators said Wednesday.
The suspected foot fondler was identified as Mark Anthony Gonzales, 26, of Atwater, Calif., according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada.
The creepy pre-dawn incidents happened when many tourists were vacationing around Lake Tahoe for the Fourth of July holiday.
“During the early morning hours between July 1-3, 2023, an adult male entered two Stateline resort condominiums by opening unlocked screen doors. Once inside, he positioned himself at the foot of the bed and rubbed the feet of two separate adult females,” the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office wrote.
The women woke up to discover that a complete stranger was fondling their feet, investigators said. The victims confronted the man and he fled.
DCSO wrote, “Investigators learned Gonzales was known to local law enforcement in the Atwater/Merced County, California area and was the suspect of numerous crimes, including the theft of women’s shoes, trespassing, and sexual self-gratification during some of these incidents.”
Investigators said Gonzales’ sexually-motivated crimes were escalating in nature.
Sheriff’s detectives found and arrested Gonzales at his residence on Monday.
Gonzalez was booked into the Merced County Jail for two counts of burglary and two counts of battery. Gonzales will be held in the Merced County Jail on a fugitive warrant with a bail of $50,000 until he is extradited back to Douglas County, Nevada.
“I am extremely pleased that my investigators were able to identify, locate, and arrest this individual,” Sheriff Dan Coverley said. “These types of crimes are especially alarming to a community, and being able to make an arrest allows the victims and community to feel safe again.”