4 people arrested for attempting to break into Cape Coral home

The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested four people they say were trying to break into a home just after 1 a.m. Monday.

Police say they were alerted to the attempted break-in when a person house-sitting a home on the 500-block of SE 4th Terrace called and said they saw several people on surveillance video wearing ski masks with guns outside.

When police arrived, they found three people dressed in all black trying to hide near the door of the home.

Joshua Ethan Ortiz-Santiago, 34, Christian Perkins, 18, and Angel Aramis Santana, 26, were the three discovered by police. Officers found two guns in Santana’s possession and one in Ortiz-Santiago’s possession. Police also found the group in possession of handcuffs and a single radio.

The radio led police to look for a fourth person. While searching the surrounding area, officers found Valerie Renne Prottsman, 23, sitting in a truck in a vacant lot nearby. They say she had a radio matching the one found with the three others.

Police also found a van in the area that they believe is connected to the four people attempting to break into the home. They found bulletproof vests with “thin-blue line” patches and extra zip ties inside it.

Based on interviews with the suspects, Cape Coral police say Santana offered Perkins $5,000 and Ortiz-Santiago $6,000-$7,000 to help with the robbery. Ortiz-Santiago told police that Santana told him the house belonged to someone who owed Santana money.

Police say the home where the group was seen on surveillance video attempting to rob was not the one they had planned on targeting.

All four people involved face a charge of attempted home invasion robbery.