Sonora, CA — The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office arrested an 18-year-old man in connection to vandalism and a burglary at a business in Mi Wuk Village.
Deputies first responded to the Smoke Shop on Highway 108 shortly before 8 am on Tuesday to take a report about vandalism that occurred earlier that morning. 18-year-old Mark Andres was identified as a suspect in a surveillance video showing him allegedly breaking a window and removing a small basket of items through it. The basket was later found outside the store.
Shortly before noon, the business manager recognized Andres inside the store and contacted law enforcement while confronting him. Deputies responded, detained Andres, and continued their investigation by speaking with witnesses. Following the investigation, Andres was booked into the Dambacher Detention Center on a charge of burglary.
There were reports on social media that the store manager had used a firearm to hold the suspect until deputies arrived.
Central Sierra Broadcasting asked the Sheriff’s Office about it, and spokesperson Ashley Boujikian stated, “While deputies were responding, dispatch received secondhand information that a firearm was possibly being used by the store manager during the confrontation. Deputies initially responded with emergency lights and sirens until dispatch made contact with the store manager, who reported there was an unloaded rifle inside the store and that no one was being held at gunpoint.”
