By Linda Taaffe

Marco Nava

The hunt for a serial prowler who allegedly attempted to sexually assault a teen as she slept in her Los Altos home Halloween eve ended Friday afternoon with the arrest of Marco Nava of Mountain View.

Police have linked the 30-year-old busboy to at least five similar incidences in Mountain View and Los Altos.

Nava is being charged with five counts of residential burglary and two counts of a lewd act on a minor, although more charges could be filed against him as Mountain View and Los Altos police continue their joint investigation.

Nava, also known as Marco Carrizales, came under police suspicion Nov. 10 after a resident on Awalt Drive in Mountain View reported a strange man knocking on her door around 11 p.m. Nava could not give police an explanation of what he was doing at the woman’s house but he had not broken any laws so police released him.

Police said Nava may have been knocking on the door to determine who was home before breaking in the house.

Further investigation of Nava led police to evidence significant enough to arrest him at 2:30 p.m., Friday, as he routinely walked along the 1400 block of El Camino Real between Shoreline Avenue and Castro Street.

Police would not say what evidence linked Nava to the string of break-ins. The evidence was significant enough, however, to press charges against Nava without requiring the juvenile victims to identify him in a lineup.

“We believe with the evidence and the similarities of the sketches and circumstances (of each incident), he is the person,” Mountain View Police Chief Scott Vermeer said.

Mountain View and Los Altos police launched a joint investigation last October following similar reports of a prowler in each city.

In the first reported incident, Nava allegedly entered a home on the 1400 block of Ernestine in Mountain View. An 11-year-old girl awoke to find Nava in the house.

In the second reported incident Oct. 30, Nava sneaked into an Almond Avenue home in Los Altos and crept into a 16-year-old girl’s bedroom preparing to attack until she awoke and scared him away.

Over the weekend, Nava confessed to two other unreported break-ins in Los Altos.

The first incident occurred Aug. 22 on Almond Avenue. Nava allegedly tried to enter a 14-year-old girl’s bedroom through the window as she slept. The girl told police she awoke to a scratching sound.

Nava fled out of the house before the girl saw him, police said.

Nava told police he took $100 from an unlocked house on Alicia Drive Aug. 28.

“This is a very chilly reminder to have an emergency plan in place,” Hughmanick said.

Police did not say whether the break-ins were random or planned.

Police are holding Nava’s dark-colored SUV for evidence. They expect to release more information about Nava later this week.