Santa Barbara – In February of 2013, a heavily-patronized Mobil Gas Station located at one of the area’s busiest intersections was robbed at gunpoint. More than a year later, no arrest had been made.
But the long arm of the law never sleeps, and just before dawn last week, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s proved it by arresting Travis Rosenblatt, 35, on charges of armed robbery. The arrest, according to the media report filed by Kelly Hoover, SBSD Public Information Officer, did not come without its challenges. “Newly obtained DNA evidence from the crime scene” led detectives to identify Rosenblatt as a principal suspect, particularly when his record showed a prior conviction for robbing a local bank in 2006. Based upon the record and the evidence at hand, search and arrest warrants for Rosenblatt were obtained.
But having court-issued documents in hand is not the same as having a suspect in custody, as the Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Team was reminded when they attempted to serve the warrants. With deputies surrounding Rosenblatt’s residence, they “made several announcements ordering anyone inside to come out immediately,” at which point a pair of tenants quickly exited and were escorted away from the scene. For his part, Rosenblatt refused to accept the invitation of deputies, and remained inside the residence for more than two hours. During this time, area neighbors were contacted by Reverse 911 Calls “instructing them to stay inside their homes,” Hoover said.
The Special Enforcement Team deployed “distraction devices” which ultimately persuaded Rosenblatt to surrender peacefully. Once he was out of the residence, he was quickly taken into custody and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he was booked on charges of armed robbery with his bail set at $500,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
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