Repeat offender picks up 2 burglary cases in less than a day
During an arrest in 2022, police noted that Peter Nothof "appeared to not believe that there would be consequences for his actions."
Hours after being released from jail following a Berkeley home burglary last week, a homeless man tried to break into another house and was arrested again, according to court papers.
Now, 30-year-old Peter Nothof is facing burglary charges in both cases, which took place less than a day apart, court records show.
The investigation began at about 8 a.m. last Monday, March 18, when a woman told police that someone had broken into her home in the 2100 block of Derby Street in South Berkeley, taking clothing, money and a Rolex watch.
Berkeley police officers found Nothof nearby wearing a black dress he had taken from the woman's home, according to court papers.
He also had one of her credit cards and other stolen items, police said.
Nothof admitted to the burglary after being advised of his right to remain silent, police wrote. But he denied having the Rolex, which BPD did not find.
Berkeley police arrested Nothof last Monday at about 10 a.m.
Later that day, Nothof was released from jail on his own recognizance, police said.
Then on Tuesday, at about 1 a.m., a South Berkeley man called police to report that someone had pried open a window at his home in the 2700 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way.
Police found Nothof about a block away and arrested him.
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Nothof was charged last week with two separate felony cases: the burglary from March 18 and the attempted burglary from March 19.
It wasn't his first contact with law enforcement, records show.
Nothof has been charged with several other Berkeley cases in recent years and was arrested in San Francisco in 2022 on suspicion of assault with intent to commit rape or mayhem, along with other allegations, police wrote in charging papers.
In one of his Berkeley cases, police said Nothof made lewd remarks to a woman working in a downtown Berkeley eatery and waved a condom at her, saying he wanted to have sex with her. Then he grabbed food off diners' tables and generally caused a disturbance, police wrote.
During a Berkeley arrest in 2022, police noted that Nothof "appeared to not believe that there would be consequences for his actions."
Peter Nothof. BPD
While officers were taking him to Santa Rita Jail, BPD wrote, Nothof told them they were "wasting time" and that "he would be out" soon.
He was charged with felony robbery and felony criminal threats in that case, but it ultimately resulted in a plea deal and misdemeanor probation, which is unsupervised, in 2022. The felony charges were dropped.
After his first new felony case last week, Nothof's attorney sought to have him released on his own recognizance. The prosecution opposed the motion.
As of this week, Nothof remains in custody with a combined bail of $100,000, according to jail records.
He is set for a preliminary hearing April 4, according to court records.
