California woman awoke to find homeless man fondling her and exposing himself, police say

California police say that a homeless home intruder exposed himself and fondled a woman as she was sleeping in her home in Santa Monica.

The Santa Monica Police Department said that 34-year-old Anthony Townson broke into the woman's home on 7th street at about 4 a.m. on Saturday.

'We're not getting the help we need, we're severely impacted.'

The woman told police that she awakened to find that Townson was rubbing her leg while exposing himself to her. She was was able to get away and call for police while the man fled from the scene.

Police said they were able to capture him nearby and determined that he had gotten into the woman's home through a patio sliding door that had been left unlocked on the second floor.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges of residential burglary and indecent exposure during unlawful entry against the man.

The man also had a criminal history that included trespassing, battery on a police officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, loitering on private property, and possession of a controlled substance.

City officials have been pressured by residents to do something about crime by homeless people after several recent horrendous incidents. In one terrifying case from May, a homeless man allegedly grabbed a jogger on the beach by her ponytail and tried to drag her into public bathrooms before bystanders intervened. In another incident in August, a man allegedly climbed on top of a female sunbather and sexually assaulted her.

The city's mayor told KTLA-TV that they needed help from state and even federal officials.

"We're not getting the help we need, we're severely impacted in an 8.3 square mile city with almost a thousand homeless people on our streets. I need help!" said Phil Brock.

Santa Monica is an affluent beach city where the median home price is $1.7 million.

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