Castro Valley man arrested in robbery of Salvation Army donation kettle

A Castro Valley man has been arrested in the robbery of a Eureka Salvation Army money kettle

EUREKA — A Castro Valley man has most likely landed on Santa’s naughty list.

The 32-year-old man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of robbing a 65-year-old Salvation Army bell ringer of her kettle full of holiday donations on Saturday, police said in a news release.

The man is also suspected of stealing a tip jar from a Eureka restaurant on Sunday, police said.

The bell-ringing robbery was reported just before 6 p.m. Saturday outside a retail store at the Bayshore Mall in the 3300 block of Broadway.

Police said the bell ringer was handed a demanding and threatening note by a man who then removed the red kettle full of donations and ran into the nearby greenbelt. The loss was estimated to be between $50 and $300, police said.

Officers reviewed video surveillance from the store and were immediately able to identify the Castro Valley man who had been contacted by officers less than an hour earlier in connection to another theft related call. He was not detained at that time.

Officers searched the greenbelt but could not find him. A probable cause warrant was issued for his arrest and other law enforcement agencies in the area were alerted.

About 4:10 p.m. Sunday, Eureka police responded to a restaurant in the 3000 block of Broadway where a man had just stolen a tip jar with an unknown amount of cash, police said. Restaurant employees provided officers with a  surveillance image and the Castro Valley man was identified as the suspect, police said.

A search of the surrounding greenbelt was successful and the suspect was taken into custody without incident. None of the stolen property was recovered, authorities said.

The suspect was booked at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on suspicion of robbery. Additional theft charges are being investigated. He remained in custody on Monday but a bail amount was not available.