Photo: Francisco Jacome
Ventura County – After 3 weeks, perhaps the robbery suspects thought they had gotten away with it.
On June 30th the on-site Thousand Oaks Kohl’s Department Store Loss Prevention agent found himself staring down the blade of a knife when he attempted to stop a theft in progress.
Tony Santiago
The man wielding the weapon, 40-year-old Oxnard resident Tony Santiago, had just left the store with purloined merchandise in his possession.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Greg Gibson, Santiago whipped out the knife to ward off the confrontation with store personnel. Then he immediately “fled the area on foot” and climbing into a nearby vehicle which took off at a high rate of speed.
Deputies attached to the Thousand Oaks Police Department Special Enforcement Unit and the Investigations Bureau responded to the scene. Consequently, witness statements identified the getaway vehicle. Within days detectives had identified the driver of the vehicle as 22-year-old Port Hueneme resident Francisco Jacome.
A week later, Santiago sat in Ventura County Jail “on unrelated charges.” Therefore cops arrested him once again and charged with robbery, with his bail now set at $140,000.
Nine days later, authorities issued a warrant for Jacome’s arrest. As a result, deputies contacted by him, took him into custody, and transported him to Ventura County. His charge is second degree robbery and conspiracy to commit a crime. Jacome’s bail is $80,000.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
