Petaluma burglar eats tater tots, falls asleep on the couch

By Kale Williams

Updated 3:27 pm, Friday, April 24, 2015

Petaluma, Calif. — A Placerville man was arrested in Petaluma Thursday afternoon after he broke into a house, had himself a snack of tater tots and set down on a sofa to take a nap, only to be discovered by the startled resident, police said.

Around 2 p.m., the homeowner was minding her own business in an upstairs bedroom on the 1600 block of Caulfield Lane. For one reason or another, she decided to venture to the first floor, where she found a man — later identified as 44-year-old James Adams — peacefully snoozing on the sofa.

Seeing as how the man was a stranger, the woman retreated in fright back to her bedroom, where she locked the door and called police.

Dispatchers directed her to make a break for safety. But her dash for the door was done with heavy footsteps, police said, and Adams awoke, immediately fleeing toward the rear of the house as the woman made her way out the front.

Seeking freedom, Adams ran through the backyard, kicking in two fence boards along the way to gain access to a neighbor’s yard, police said. Adams would not prove elusive for long, they said, as officers posted on the next street, Putnam Way, spotted him as he attempted to exit discreetly from the yard.

Police commanded Adams to drop to his knees, which he did, but he proved less cooperative as they attempted to place him in handcuffs, fighting the officers before they shocked him twice with a Taser, officials said.

Eventually Adams was subdued, at which point he was taken to a nearby hospital for medical clearance — standard procedure when a Taser is deployed — but neither Adams or either of the officers he fought with were injured, police said.

Investigators surmised that he entered the house to burgle, but got sidetracked. His snack of choice: frozen tater tots, according to police.

Officials said Adams has a lengthy criminal history including arrests in California and Oregon for being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of weapons, battery on peace officer, felony DUI, drug possession and resisting arrest.

Adams was transported to the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of burglary and resisting arrest, where he was being held in lieu of $30,000 bail.