- A man was caught on home surveillance swinging a knife on a neighbor’s front porch in the Arden area.
- Brian Mattson, 56, was arrested twice on Saturday for criminal trespassing — hours apart.
- Sacramento County Probation released him after the first arrest, and he was picked up again the same day.
- Neighbors say they haven’t slept since and are demanding answers from law enforcement and county probation.
ARDEN, California — A quiet family neighborhood in the Arden area is on edge after a man was caught on home surveillance camera swinging a knife on a resident’s front porch — and then arrested not once, but twice in the same day.
Brian Mattson, 56, was taken into custody Saturday morning on a criminal trespassing charge after the alarming footage surfaced showing him on someone’s front porch, knife in hand.
But the neighborhood’s nightmare did not end there.
Released — Then Arrested Again Hours Later
After his first arrest, Sacramento County Probation declined to hold Mattson, and he was released.
Within hours, Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies arrested him again — this time at a business near Fair Oaks Boulevard and San Lucas Way. He was booked on criminal trespassing charges and for violating probation.
The probation violation charge is a felony. Jail records show Mattson is currently not eligible for bail.
“It Seemed Like Such a Fake Thing”
For neighbors like Michael Deauville, who lives next door to where the footage was recorded, the whole ordeal has been hard to process.
“I thought it was a movie or a prank. It seemed like such a fake thing going on, especially in our neck of the woods,” Deauville said.
His concern deepened when he learned children were sleeping nearby during the incident.
“I’ve got young kids sleeping real close to where he was,” he said.
When Mattson was picked up the second time, Deauville had gone outside to see what the commotion was about — only to find it was the same man.
“I saw cops flying by, went to see what was going on and lo and behold, it was déjà vu,” he said. “It just seems like the definition of insanity, doing something over and over again.”
Neighbors Want Answers
The double arrest has left residents frustrated and searching for answers — especially about why Mattson was released after the first incident.
“I don’t think anybody’s slept good since knowing this is happening and then happening again so quickly after he was arrested the first time,” Deauville said. “There’s a lot of questions in the neighborhood of what do we do now.”
Neighbors are calling for more transparency from both law enforcement and Sacramento County Probation. Reached out to county probation regarding the initial release but had not received a response at the time of reporting.
Mattson is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
Do you live in the Arden area? Have you seen anything concerning in your neighborhood lately? Share what you know in the comments — your neighbors are watching this story closely.
