SALINAS, Calif. — Police are looking for a man seen on a home surveillance video licking a doorbell for three hours at a Salinas, California, residence.
KION reported that Sylvia and Dave Dungan called police when they saw the footage. The homeowners were out of town at the time of the incident and their children were inside the house sleeping, but their surveillance system alerts them when there's movement in front of the camera, according to the news station.
"I thought, boy there's a lot of traffic," homeowner Sylvia Dungan told KION. "I go, '5:00 in the morning? My son doesn't get home till 6:00. I go, 'Well that's kind of odd.' So I started reviewing the videos."
Police later identified the man as Roberto Daniel Arroyo, 33.
"We were pleasantly surprised the image was so clear it didn't take us long to identify the individual," Salinas Police Department spokesperson Miguel Cabrera told KION.
The New York Post reported that authorities were able to identify the suspect in part because he has a number of misdemeanor offenses. Cabrera told The Post his past misdemeanors include public intoxication, resisting arrest, and being under the influence of narcotics.
Police also said Arroyo relieved himself in the yard and attempted to take an extension cord, which was found the next morning by neighbors.
“You kind of laugh about it afterwards because, technically, he didn’t harm anybody, he didn’t break anything,” Sylvia Dungan said.
Police say Arroyo may face misdemeanor charges of petty theft and prowling.
The family has since wiped down the doorbell.