Suspected Palm Springs Prowler Pleads 'Not Guilty' To Felony Charges

PALM SPRINGS, CA - A 33-year-old man suspected of prowling through a Palm Springs neighborhood and burglarizing a home pleaded not guilty Friday to felony charges.

Justin Val Miller of Palm Springs is charged with one felony count of burglary, according to court records.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge Friday morning at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. He's set to return to court Sept. 6 for a felony settlement conference.

Officers responded shortly after 3 a.m. Aug. 13 to a report from a resident in the 1300 block of Crystal Court about a suspicious person who jumped the fence into their backyard, according to the Palm Springs Police Department. He was described as a man walking with a limp and with multiple tattoos on his arms, neck and head.

As the area was being checked, residents reported the same person prowling in their backyards, in the 3200 block of Cambridge Court and in the 2900 block of East Sonora Road, police said. Officers were not able to find the suspect at either of the residences.

Shortly after 1 p.m. that day, a resident received an alert about someone on their property in the 2900 block of East Sonora Road, according to police.

"They accessed their camera system and saw the same suspicious person described above had actually entered their home," Palm Springs police wrote in a statement. "PSPD responded and determined a burglary occurred and the suspect had fled the scene."

Miller was subsequently identified as the suspect and found Tuesday in the 600 block of Canon Drive, where he was arrested, according to police. He was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center, where he remains held without bail.

Anyone with additional information on the suspect, burglary, or prowling incidents was asked to call investigators at 760-323-8121 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 760-347-7867(STOP).