A Bankers Hill couple said they woke up early Sunday morning to find a nearly naked homeless man at the foot of their bed asking for clothes.

“We woke up to the sound of my dog barking,” Robbie Alva said about the incident. “I see a silhouette. It’s a man, 200 pounds, wearing boxers. It’s not what you want to see at 6 a.m. Sunday morning.”

Alva said the man, who was arrested that morning, appeared to be under the influence of a drug and was asking for clothing. While Alva reached for his cellphone to call police, he said his boyfriend, Dylan Renfro, grabbed a button-up t-shirt and some sweatpants from a nearby laundry basket and threw them at the man.

“He said, ‘Please don’t call the police, I’m not a bad person,’” Alva recalled the intruder saying.


The man quickly put on the clothes, which Alva said were a snug fit because of his size.

“He was saying, ‘I need shoes,’” Alva recalled. “I told him all of our shoes were outdoors.”

Alva said the man fell for the ruse, and they locked the front door after he stepped outside. Police arrived within five minutes and were able to spot the barefoot man with ill-fitting clothes just up the block, Alva said.

According to San Diego police, the incident occurred at about 6:30 a.m. on Curlew Street near Kalmia Street. Police arrested a 49-year-old man on suspicion of trespassing, being under the influence of a controlled substance, and for a parole violation.


He is being held in jail without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.

Alva said he was upset when an officer told him the suspected intruder might be charged only with misdemeanor trespassing, but a detective who visited his home Monday afternoon said other charges would be considered.

He said he also was upset that an officer had told him this sort of thing happens “all the time.”

“This shouldn’t be happening all the time,” Alva said, adding that he’s seen the homeless population in his neighborhood increase since moving in last summer.


Alva said he and his boyfriend usually secure the door with four locks but may not have used all of them Saturday night. A panel on the door frame appeared damaged from the break-in, he said.

Renfro wrote to San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer about the incident, asking what actions would be taken in this case.

“I look forward to hearing back,” he said.

While the incident was bizarre and unnerving for Alva and Renfro, it wasn’t the first time neighbors in the area had a strange encounter with a homeless person.


In March 2017, residents of a Bankers Hill housing complex reported seeing a naked homeless man bathing and washing his clothes in their Jacuzzi. The man was not caught.

Staff writer Teri Figueroa contributed to this report.


Homeless Playlist × On Now San Diego hepatitis outbreak continues to grow: 481 cases On Now Homeless entrenched in booming tent city along Santa Ana River On Now San Diego mayor agreed to homeless hub, then delayed, advocates say On Now Homeless outreach in San Diego On Now Video: Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #8 On Now In poverty himself, 'Water Man Dave,' is the fearless saint of San Diego's homeless 5:41 On Now Video: Homeless living in cars find safe havens 2:21 On Now Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #7 On Now Pitching a tent plan for San Diego's homeless On Now Homeless efforts get $80M boost for various services


gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939