Man arrested as suspect in burglary and battery cases at Lake Tahoe

STATELINE, Nev. – An arrest has been made in the case of the man who entered the condominiums of two women as they slept on Elk Point Road in July. On the morning of Sunday, July 2, and again on the morning of Monday, July 3, at approximately 4:30 a.m., female guests staying at the Wyndham resort in the 180 block of Elks Point Road in Stateline woke up to an intruder in their room fondling their feet. Once the female guests woke up, the intruder left the room via the exterior sliding screen door.

During an ongoing investigation, the suspect was identified via forensic techniques as Mark Anthony Gonzales, age 26, from Atwater, California.

DCSO Investigators learned Gonzales was known to local law enforcement in the Atwater/Merced County, California area and was the suspect of numerous crimes, including the theft of women’s shoes, trespassing, and sexual self-gratification during some of these incidents. DCSO Investigators said they felt that Gonzales’ crimes were escalating in nature.

On August 1, 2023, DCSO investigators, 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, Nev.

“I am extremely pleased that my Investigators were able to identify, locate, and arrest this individual,” said DCSO 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.”