Police: Santa Rosa transient steals lawyers’ suits, tries to pass as attorney

A transient slipped into the Sonoma County Counsel’s office over the weekend, tried on a couple of dress suits and attempted to pass himself off as an attorney, Santa Rosa police reported.

An employee of the County Counsel’s office discovered the stranger Sunday morning when she came in to catch up on some work, according to Sgt. Brenda Harrington.

“When encountered, he said ‘I work here,’” Harrington said.

But the attire wasn’t convincing enough.

“He didn’t quite fit the bill for one of the attorneys,” Harrington said.

The startled employee called police to report the intruder at 8:48 a.m., saying the offices were closed and no one was supposed to be inside the building.

When police arrived they found the barefoot man outside a short distance away.

He was wearing not just one, but two suits and a sports coat from an office that attorneys use for backup, Harrington said. He also was barefoot.

The man was identified as Seth Bolster, 25, a Santa Rosa transient.

He was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of burglary and violating his probation.

Police did not know how he got into the locked building and whether a door or window had been unsecured.

Although the intruder entered several offices and ransacked one, it did not appear any confidential information was compromised, police said.