Transient implicated in burglary spree
SANTA ROSA – Fingerprints and surveillance video evidence has implicated a 20-year-old transient as the primary suspect in over five commercial burglaries committed in the past month in Santa Rosa.
According to property crimes detectives, businesses targeted by Ryan Roberts of the Santa Rosa area include: La Cantera Racquet Club on Montgomery Drive on March 16; The Lodge at Paulin Creek on Range Avenue on March 19; K-Mart on Cleveland Avenue on March 23; Laservue Eye Center on Mendocino Avenue on April 7; and Empire College on Cleveland Avenue on Wednesday.
Around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, a field and evidence technician who was investigating the burglary at Empire College spotted Roberts and his vehicle, a blue Ford Explorer, near Stony Point Road and Highway 12. She recognized Roberts and his vehicle from surveillance video evidence she had recovered at the college.
Patrol officers arrested Roberts for the five burglaries, possessing stolen property, an outstanding arrest warrant and probation violations. At the time of his arrest, Roberts was in possession of stolen property from the Empire College burglary earlier that day, and from other thefts in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park and San Rafael.
“In several of these cases, Roberts worked with others who have yet to be identified,” said Sgt. Michael Lazzarini of the Property Crime Investigations Team, which is continuing the investigation into this crime spree to identify the other suspects. “Roberts and his associates typically stole flatscreen television sets, small electronics and computers, office equipment, purses, wallets and checkbooks.”
Roberts is being held at the Sonoma County Jail.
