Man Found Wearing Only Towel Inside Home Faces Burglary Charge

JONESBORO, Ark. — A man found inside a Craighead County home wearing only a towel faces residential burglary and criminal trespass charges after a doorbell camera alerted the homeowner, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Noel Perez appeared before Special Judge Barbara Halsey on Nov. 4. His bond was set at $150,000 cash or surety on allegations of residential burglary, a Class B felony, and criminal trespass, a Class A misdemeanor.

Deputies were dispatched around 9:18 p.m. Nov. 2 to a residence on County Road 645 for a reported burglary in progress. While they were on the way, dispatch reported a man was being held at gunpoint inside the home. Bay police arrived before deputies and reported the man was in custody.

The homeowner told investigators he was returning from a ballgame in Lake City with his family when he received a doorbell camera notification. The footage showed a naked man walking past the front door in the yard, according to the affidavit.

He called a relative, identified in the affidavit as a trooper, to help check the property. The two searched the home with handguns but initially did not find anyone.

After spotting a hat, cellphone and shoes on the back porch that did not belong there, the homeowner believed someone was still inside. He and his relative entered again and shouted for the person to come out.

A man then walked down the stairs wearing only a towel, and they held him until police arrived, according to the affidavit.

Deputies reported finding Perez lying facedown on the floor, covered with a towel. They handcuffed him and spoke with the homeowner.

Perez told deputies an older couple had let him inside and said they were the homeowner’s parents, the affidavit says. The homeowner disputed that account, telling deputies no one else was home and his parents lived in another town.

The homeowner reported no damage from forced entry and said the house was most likely left unlocked.

Perez allegedly told deputies he had smoked a large amount of methamphetamine shortly before they contacted him. Emergency medical personnel evaluated him before he was taken to the Craighead County Detention Center.

While leaving the area, Perez told deputies he had left his clothes in a creek beneath a bridge at Dedman and Robinson, according to the affidavit. Deputies reported seeing what appeared to be footprints in the mud.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 16 at 8:30 a.m. in Craighead County Circuit Court.