Man, 26, accused of fondling sleeping women's feet after sneaking into a Lake Tahoe resort through unlocked screen doors

A man suspected of breaking into a resort in Lake Tahoe and fondling women’s feet as they slept has been arrested. Mark Anthony Gonzales (pictured top right), 26, was arrested from his home in Atwater, California, on Monday after being linked to the crime by ‘forensic techniques,’ according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

He is accused of entering ground floor rooms in a luxury Lake Tahoe resort in Nevada through unlocked screen doors on two separate occasions in early July. On both occasions the women reported that they woke up to a person at the foot of their bed, who then ran off, according to the sheriff’s office. 

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Gonzales (pictured) was already known to local law enforcement and was the suspect of numerous crimes, including ‘the theft of women’s shoes, trespassing, and sexual self-gratification’ during some of these incidents. Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said it appeared his crimes were increasing in severity. Gonzales was charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of battery and is being held in the Merced County Jail with a bail of $50,000, but will be extradited back to Douglas County, Nevada. 

‘I am extremely pleased that my Investigators were able to identify, locate, and arrest this individual,’ said Douglas County Sheriff Dan Coverley. ‘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.’ 

The two Lake Tahoe incidents were reported on July 2 and July 3. According to officials the man broke into ground floor rooms via an ‘unsecured exterior screen door’ of rooms in the Club Wyndham South Shore Hotel in the city of Stateline. 

Guests at the hotel enjoy ‘spacious bedroom resort suites’ which ‘comfortably sleep four to eight guests and range from 800 to 1,200 square feet,’ according to the website. Suites feature private bedrooms with one king bed in the master, one queen bed or two twin beds in the guest rooms and a double Murphy bed in the living area.

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