When officers arrived they contacted a male victim. The victim stated he was sleeping, when an unknown male subject kicked in the door to his room. The suspect was wearing a mask and was armed with a handgun. The suspect forced the victim into the bathroom and tied him to the toilet. The suspect then took the victims laptop, wallet, cell phone, GPS, and the keys to the victim’s rental car. It was also learned the suspect had kicked in the door to other unrented rooms and removed property from those rooms as well.
The suspect left in the victim’s rented Kia Rio sedan. At approx. 5:30 am, the victim’s credit card was used to purchase fuel at the A&B Mini Mart in Sonora Village. The description of the suspect matched that of a parolee who lives in Tuolumne County.
Officers from the Sonora Police Department responded to the Tuolumne City area where the parolee has contacts. At approx. 11:07 am, Officers located the stolen Kia parked in the driveway of a residence. The Officers requested assistance from the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department.
Officers contacted parolee Ramon Diaz, 38 of Tuolumne, who had cut off his ankle bracelet monitor. Diaz is currently on parole for burglary and has an extensive criminal history. Officers recovered all the stolen property, except the cell phone. Also recovered was a mask and fake handgun believed to have been used in the robbery.
Diaz was transported to the Tuolumne County Jail and booked for; felony home invasion robbery, felony kidnapping, felony burglary, felony vehicle theft, and several other charges.
The investigation is into this matter is continuing. However, it’s believed that Diaz acted alone.
