Man arrested on suspicion of Roseville break-in attempts freed on coronavirus bail rules

Deputies arrested a Citrus Heights man Tuesday night who was suspected of kicking in doors and attempting to steal a car in a Roseville neighborhood — but was released shortly afterward due to emergency coronavirus bail measures.

In a news release, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said that Jason Ussery of Citrus Heights was taken into custody on suspicion of attempting to break into homes on Powles Court.

Deputies were sent out around 10:30 p.m. on reports that a man approached a home, pounded on the door and called out a girl’s name. The man was told by residents that the girl didn’t live there, which prompted the man to walk to the the next home over and begin kicking in the door.

The metal security screen was kicked in and the lock on the front door was broken before deputies arrived. Two cars at the home had their windows smashed and a porch light was damaged, deputies said. The man attempted to steal one of the cars by tampering with the ignition system.

The man went over to a third home, continuing to shout out the girl’s name, where a bedroom window was shattered, a security door was damaged and a storage area was broken into, according to sheriff’s officials.

Responding deputies chased after Ussery, who hopped a fence and tried to hide underneath newspapers along the fence line. He was arrested and charged with burglary, felony vandalism and tampering with a vehicle, deputies said.

Ussery, 39, was released from custody per California’s emergency bail schedule, adopted in response to the coronavirus pandemic in order to keep jail populations lower.