Sheriff’s deputies arrest Sonora burglary suspect wearing nothing but rubber boots

A report of a suspicious vehicle led Tuolumne County sheriff’s deputies to find a naked man who reportedly broke into two homes last week before he was spotted wandering around in nothing but a pair of rubber boots.

Eluterio Galvan, 37, of Sonora was arrested on suspicion of burglary, the Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday afternoon on its Facebook page.

The investigation began about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, when the Sheriff’s Office received the report of the suspicious vehicle parked in the driveway of a home in the 19000 block of Phoenix Lake Road, just north of Highway 108 and east of Sonora.

The resident had been away for a short time and returned to find the Toyota 4Runner in the driveway, sheriff’s officials said.

A door on the Toyota was open, the keys were in the ignition, and an empty wallet was found on the ground near the open door, according to the sheriff’s daily log. One of the bicycles belonging to the resident was found on a hill behind the home.

Deputies arrived at the home and found a pair of sandals that were left outside the vehicle. Sheriff’s officials said the sandals matched a shoe print found on a couch inside the home.

Galvan was later identified as the Toyota’s driver. Sheriff’s officials said the deputies found Galvan at another home he had burglarized in the neighborhood.

Sheriff’s dispatchers had received another call reporting a nude man wandering around on the property. The deputies found Galvan without any clothing; he was wearing rubber boots he had stolen from the home, the report said.

Several items taken from the two homes during the burglaries were recovered nearby and returned to the residents.

Galvan told deputies that the sandals found near the Toyota belonged to him, sheriff’s officials said, and Galvan admitted he had used methamphetamine.

Galvan was taken by ambulance to Adventist Health Sonora hospital, where he was medically examined. He was later booked at the Tuolumne County Jail on the burglary charge.

This story was originally published April 29, 2019 at 3:36 PM.