Photo: Dennis Charles Franks
After several weeks of investigation, the primary suspect in a Rancho Cucamonga home invasion robbery was arrested at his home in Highland.
Two similar robberies occurring in Rancho Cucamonga within eleven days of each other prompted police to investigate whether they were connected.
The first occurred at a home in the 6700 block of Di Carlo Place at nearly 9 PM on October 3, 2019. Several armed black men detained residents of the home and fled after stealing many of their valuable possessions.
The second robbery took place after 7 PM on October 14th in the 13000 Block of Carnesi Drive, when “unknown black males approached the victim in the driveway, while armed with an unknown handgun, and forced the victim into the residence, where the suspects stole numerous items,” according to the written release.
After extensive investigation, detectives from the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department were able to identify Dennis Charles Franks (25, Highland) as the primary suspect in the Carnesi Drive robbery. Franks was found to be on probation for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and a no bail warrant was issued for his arrest.
On October 23rd, Franks was located at Highland home by officers from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Specialized Enforcement Division (SED). “As they attempted to contact Franks, he fled on foot and dropped a loaded handgun. Franks was captured after a short foot pursuit and was taken into custody without incident.”
Upon searching Franks’ residence, officers were able to recover items stolen during the robbery.
The suspect was arrested on charges of home invasion robbery and held without bail. He was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, October 28th.
Around the same time, investigators identified Jeffery Taylor-Thompson as one of the suspects in the Di Carlo Place robbery. He was arrested on unrelated charges in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 21st and is waiting to be extradited back to California.
Investigators are unsure if the two robberies are related and are still looking for suspects. They also believe Franks has committed other robberies. Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact Detectives at the Rancho Cucamonga Police.
