Burglar Warded off with Samurai Sword 1/2/13 10.45a AF

A Watsonville was arrested Tuesday after breaking into a Santa Cruz residence in the early hours of the morning.    A woman on the 300 block of Walnut Avenue awoke shortly after 4:30am to find 23-year-old Jose Manuel Gomez standing over her bed.     The victim’s boyfriend was also in the residence, and scared off Gomez with a flare and a samurai sword.    When Santa Cruz Police officers arrived, they found Gomez urinating on the front door of the home.   Gomez was taken into custody on a charge of burglary and held for 50 thousand dollars bail.   Gomez is a transient from Watsonville with a long arrest record, including arrests for trespassing and sexual battery.