Petaluma man arrested on suspicion of stalking, vandalism, possessing weapons

PETALUMA, Calif. (BCN) - A Sonoma County man was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of stalking his ex-girlfriend, Petaluma police said.

On Oct. 28, Scott Aaron Smith, 58, allegedly showed up to the woman's Petaluma house and hit her vehicle with his truck and then punctured both driver's-side tires with a knife, according to police.

The following day, Smith then returned to his ex-girlfriend's house and confronted her at her back door, allegedly brandishing a large-caliber revolver, police said.

In an interview with a police detective on Oct. 30, Smith admitted to the vandalism.

Police found a knife, but no revolver in Smith's truck. He was taken into custody, according to police.

After obtaining a search warrant, a SWAT team and police detectives searched Smith's home on Saturday, which is a large, rural property on Eastman Lane.

There, SWAT team members found the large-caliber revolver in Smith's room, along with an AK-47 with a 30-round magazine. Both guns were loaded, according to police.

The AK-47 qualifies as an assault weapon, and the revolver was found to have been stolen out of Lake County in 2012.

Police seized several other older rifles and shotguns from Smith's residence, police said.

Smith was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of possession of stolen property, possession of an assault weapon, possession of a high-capacity magazine, possession of firearms while subject to a restraining order, vandalism and stalking, according to police.