12:43 PM PT -- A rep for the sheriff's office now says, "Follow up investigation by Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office Detectives determined the case to be a violation of 647(h) PC – Prowling (misdemeanor) and not a stalking violation. The investigation is ongoing."
A scary situation for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as a man was arrested at the couple's home for stalking ... TMZ has learned.
A rep for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office tells us they got a call Monday morning, around 2 AM, from security staffers at Harry and Meghan's Montecito mansion for a man near the property.
We're told 29-year-old Kevin Garcia Valdovinos was placed under citizen's arrest by Harry and Meghan's security at the entrance to the property. Once cops arrived, they took him into custody and booked him for misdemeanor stalking. Valdovinos was later released on $2,500 bail.
The law under which Valdovinos was arrested indicates whatever he did, he's done before ... which makes sense because he never actually made it on the property. We know he told security something that triggered this arrest, though the sheriff is not saying what that was ... it's now up to prosecutors to decide the next steps.
It's unclear if Harry and Meghan were home at the time of the incident, but it's not the first time an intruder has been arrested at or near their home.
TMZ broke the story ... back on Christmas Eve 2020, a man named Nickolas Brooks, who apparently drove all the way from Ohio, was dinged for trespassing on the property -- but he was let off with a warning. However, cops say Brooks returned yet again on December 26, 2020, and was arrested for trespassing.
We've reached out to Harry and Meghan's reps ... so far, no word back.
Originally Published -- 12:45 AM PT