by Bay City News
A transient was arrested after leading officers to a stash of items he had allegedly stolen from outside a Newark home early Friday morning, police said. Officers received a call from a homeowner who was reporting a possible prowler in her backyard on La Salle Drive around 12:45 a.m., police said. An arriving officer found transient Ponesi Bounthapanya, 36, riding a bicycle in front of the home.
He had smashed a glass methamphetamine pipe on the ground, according to police. Bounthapanya was arrested, and while being evaluated for symptoms of intoxication, he directed officers to nearby Newark Junior High School, where police found items that had been stolen from the homeowner's backyard, police said. The items included luggage, a camping stove, a down comforter and a chain saw, according to police. Officers learned that the bicycle Bounthapanya was riding had also been stolen from the homeowner, police said. Bounthapanya was booked into the Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, petty theft, destruction of evidence and prowling, police said.
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