Petaluma police break down homeless camps

Petaluma Police officers have been working overtime to clean up dozens of illegal transient encampments around town that are threats to public health and safety and the environment. The latest operation was conducted on Feb. 11, and resulted in five arrests and warnings issued to two people involved in illegal dumping sites.

Police located 34 illegal encampments currently active throughout the city. More than 100 camps have been identified and cleared by police.

At the Cedar Grove Parkway on city-owned property next to the river the following arrests were made:

Nikolas Walker, age 29, transient from Illinois was jailed for illegally occupying land and for dumping waste into a waterway. Tammy Rowell, a 33-year-old from Illinois, was arrested on the same charges. Both stated they moved here from Illinois a few weeks ago.

Jesus Carillo, 28, from Petaluma ran from the officers. He was apprehended with a knife in his pocket, then lied about his name. He was arrested for resisting arrest, giving false identity to police officer and possession of an illegal weapon.

Todd Naus, 30, also from Petaluma, was arrested for trespassing, illegally occupying land, and violation of probation.

Naus was responsible for what police described as “the infamous hot tub tree house” on the Cedar Grove property that has been generating numerous calls from angry neighbors. Naus has prior arrests for illegal camping and was in violation of his probation terms. He was later booked at county jail.

The final arrest of the day was near Schollenberger Park at a large encampment “previously found to have booby traps” apparently intended to injure anyone who entered.

Ervin Osman, a 28-year-old transient from Spokane, Wash., was arrested on active warrants and for possession of a stolen bicycle.

The $1,300 Cannondale mountain bike was stolen from an English Street home earlier this month. The bicycle was returned to the victim and Osman was booked at county jail.

Police said this week that the number of homeless encampments is worse than at any time in the past 20 years. They are working with mental health professionals, drug and alcohol abuse counselors, and the Mary Isaac Center to provide resources and services to those in need prior to enforcement action.

Budget cuts that trimmed the police staff from 77 officers to 62 have made it difficult for police to be proactive in dealing with the homeless-transient camps. Officers have worked overtime to deal with the problem while the department awaits word on a grant request for a full-time officer to address the issue.