Transient suspected of burglarizing burned Santa Rosa home

<p>Santa Rosa firefighters Monday night chased and tackled a man who is suspected of burglarizing a house that had been badly damaged by fire earlier in the evening.</p><p>The arrested occurred at 9:45 p.m. on Hahman Drive, not far from the Patio Court home that had been damaged by fire at about 5 p.m., said Santa Rosa Fire Battalion Chief Mark Basque.</p><p>Brett M. Haworth, 46, a transient, is being held at the Sonoma County Jail without bail on suspicion of burglary and violation of probation for possession of stolen property.</p><p>Basque said the incident occurred when firefighters had returned to a Patio Court house that had suffered $50,000 damage during the earlier fire.</p><p>In that blaze, the fire started in the garage and damaged the garage and kitchen before being put out. Firefighters also rescued a small dog from a bedroom.</p><p>The occupant, Robin Bananani, and her two teen-aged children were not home when the blaze started. The cause has not been determined.</p><p>Basque said Capt. Keith Flood and two other firefighters went to the house to make a routine check for hotspots.</p><p>“We were on the front porch getting ready to go into the house when the large bushes next to the house started shaking, like there was a bear in there,” Flood said.</p><p>Flood said a man jumped out of the bushes and started running.</p><p>Flood, firefighter Brian Buchanan and engineer A.J. Alcocer caught the man on Hahman Drive, tackled him and held him down until police arrived.</p><p>“It is pretty disgusting to think that someone would do that,” Flood said. “I told him 'they don't have insurance and you are ripping them off.' The guy was pleading with us, he said he just wanted clothes, but he had ransacked the three bedrooms that were not burned and had stacked valuables up outside.”</p><p>Police Sgt. Lisa Banayat said the burglary suspect was wearing a sweatshirt taken from the house and was also covered in soot from the fire.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@</p>