Berkeley home invasion suspect charged with stalking neighbor

A man who stalked his neighbor for several weeks in February and then kicked open his door while swinging a butcher knife is in custody facing felony charges this week, according to court papers.

Police wrote that Montri Vanderhorst, 35, "has shown a pattern of fixation … that is escalating" in relation to the neighbor, who has limited mobility and vision due to medical conditions.

The victim said he was concerned Vanderhorst targeted him because he is Jewish, repeatedly referring to him as "the devil" and telling him he "needs to convert faster to Jesus and read the Bible," Berkeley police wrote in charging papers.

Read more about crime in Berkeley.

BPD also noted that Vanderhorst "continues to torment" his neighbor despite having been arrested previously and admonished to leave him alone.

Police said the neighbor had made at least four police reports, dating back to 2023, about problematic incidents involving Vanderhorst, including one where he threw a brick through the man's window.

At least one of those incidents resulted in a restraining order, police wrote.

In late February, police say Vanderhorst kicked open his neighbor's door and confronted his caretaker, who had opened the door instead.

The home invasion case resulted in a psychiatric hold for Vanderhorst, according to court papers.

In March, BPD picked him up at a psychiatric hospital in Fremont and arrested him, according to charging papers.

The Alameda County district attorney's office charged Vanderhorst with hot prowl burglary — breaking in while someone is home — along with assault with a deadly weapon and exhibiting a deadly weapon, according to charging papers.

He was also charged with felony stalking, according to court papers.

As of this week, Vanderhorst remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail but the case has been suspended pending review by a psychiatrist, according to booking records.

Vanderhorst is being held without bail while that review proceeds.