San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has charged a 38-year-old man in a month-long series of "hot prowl" burglaries, break-ins at homes where people were inside and asleep. Levi Michael Banks faces 10 counts of residential burglary plus vandalism, possession of stolen property and theft of access cards and card information, the DA's office said.

The break-ins

  • Sept. 26, Noe Valley: Between about 2:24 a.m. and 9:35 a.m., police got several reports of burglaries on 24th, Elizabeth and Noe streets.
  • Oct. 13, Pacific Heights: Two homes, one on Fillmore Street and one on Jackson Street, reported being burglarized before residents woke up. Prosecutors put the combined loss at more than $64,000.
  • Oct. 16, Inner Richmond: Police responded to a burglary at a multi-unit home on 12th Avenue near the Presidio, with family members living in each unit.
  • Oct. 23, Presidio Heights: A silent alarm went off around 2:23 a.m. on Clay Street, leading to the arrest.

How police found him

According to the DA's office, investigators followed fraudulent purchases made with victims' credit cards to identify a suspect vehicle, then tracked it with automated license plate reader data. When officers answered the Clay Street alarm, they spotted that vehicle and watched it. Banks returned to the car at about 4:36 a.m. and was arrested.

Officers then searched the area where he was seen coming out and found a backpack in a narrow path between two homes on Washington Street. Prosecutors said it held personal identifying information belonging to nearby residents, about $4,500 in cash and clothing matching what the suspect wore in surveillance video and what victims described, the Chronicle reported.

What's next in court

Banks was arraigned Oct. 27 and ordered held. A hearing on a defense motion for his release is set for Nov. 3, a preliminary hearing for Nov. 9, and a Nov. 10 date for a report on whether he is eligible for mental health diversion, a program that can let some defendants get treatment instead of being prosecuted. The DA's office said the police investigation is still open. Charges are allegations; Banks is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.