Suspect arrested in vandalism at downtown Santa Rosa library
A 38-year-old man suspected of breaking several windows at the Sonoma County library in downtown Santa Rosa earlier this month, causing several thousand dollars in damage, was arrested early Monday morning, police said.
Several windows, the glass entry door and emergency exit door were discovered shattered at the library on Feb. 9, causing damage estimated at $8,000 to $10,000.
The suspect was identified by investigators using community leads, video evidence, and data provided by the police crime analysis team. He was spotted early Monday by an officer walking in the 600 block of Fourth Street, which is near Old Courthouse Square.
Benneth Amaechi was taken into custody about 5:35 a.m. on Fourth Street, a few blocks from the downtown Sonoma County Library.
Amaechi, a transient from Santa Rosa, was on probation for a similar vandalism incident at a preschool in Santa Rosa's South Park neighborhood in March 2023, police said.
Amaechi was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of felony vandalism and felony probation violation.