From the Arcata Police Department:

An Arcata Police Department Ranger patrolling the Arcata Marsh area located a suspicious man on a bicycle at about 8 a.m. this morning .

The man was contacted and identified as 40 year old Shawn Paul Alberson of Eureka. It was determined Alberson was currently on parole for burglary. A search of Alberson was conducted per the terms of his parole. The ranger located a loaded .22 caliber revolver concealed down the front of Alberson’s pants. He was also found to be in possession of numerous burglary tools that included dozens of car keys, a pry bar, a slide hammer and a night vision scope. Numerous credit and debit cards belonging to previous victims of theft were found in Alberson’s pack.

Over the past month the City of Arcata has seen a significant increase in vehicle burglaries in the parking lots in and around the Arcata Marsh. Several people have reported seeing a man matching Alberson’s description and riding a similar bicycle in the area just before or just after the burglaries occurred.

Alberson was booked in to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on the following charges:

29800(A)(1) PC, felon in possession of a firearm
12403.7(A) PC, felon in possession on tear gas
25400(A)(2) PC, carrying a concealed weapon on a person
25850(A) PC, carrying a loaded firearm in public
466 PC, possession of burglary tools