Alleged Tahoe foot fondler in custody

An alleged foot fondler, who climbed into unlocked screen doors July 1-3 to rub the feet of two women staying at a Stateline resort, is in custody, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office reported on Tuesday.

Mark Anthony Gonzales, 26, of Atwater, Calif., was taken into custody in connection with the incidents.

“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.”

During the early morning hours between July 1-3, man entered two Stateline resort condominiums by entering the rooms through a screen door.

According to the sheriff’s office, he stood at the foot of the women’s beds and started rubbing their feet.

The woman woke up and confronted the man, who fled. 

During an investigation, the man was identified via forensic techniques as Gonzales.

Investigators learned Gonzales was known to local law enforcement in Atwater and Merced County and was a suspect of numerous crimes, including the theft of women’s shoes, trespassing, and sexual self-gratification during some of these incidents.

It appeared to investigators that Gonzales’ crimes were escalating in nature.

On Aug. 1, investigators from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office—with the assistance of Merced County Sheriff’s Office detectives—arrested Gonzales at his residence.

Gonzalez was booked into the Merced County Jail for two counts of burglary and two counts of battery. Gonzales will be held in the Merced County Jail with on a fugitive warrant with a bail of $50,000 until he is extradited back to Douglas County.