Photo: offshore pursuit
SAN RAFAEL— A middle-aged woman swam away from authorities before she was arrested her fifth time this year. She was surrounded on tiny West MarinIsland and airlifted by helicopter back to the mainland.
The 51-year-old transient from San Rafael is frequently in trouble with the law. Since 2018, Juliane Riebeling has been arrested 21 times, including most recently on June 7.
At 3:15 p.m., San Rafael police received a report that a woman was causing a ruckus at Loch Loman Yacht Harbor. She was throwing merchandise and breaking glass inside Andy’s Local Market.
Marin County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded because several San Rafael officers were on another high priority call. Witnesses saw a store employee being punched and hit with a bottle before the suspect fled.
The same suspect returned to the store before San Rafael officers arrived on the scene. Riebeling next allegedly attempted to strike the store employee with a hammer.
The suspect fled a second time, running towards the shoreline. San Rafael police set up a perimeter. The woman jumped into the bay and swam away from the yacht harbor.
San Rafael police boarded a patrol boat and called for assistance from California Highway Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard. The San Rafael Fire Department also responded.
A CHP helicopter transported an SRPD K-9 unit offshore to West Marin Island. The Coast Guard also transported SRPD officers to the island.
Ultimately surrounded, Riebeling surrendered at 6:37 p.m. She was booked into Marin County Jail, where she remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 bond.
She presently faces charges for robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and resisting an officer. Her numerous prior arrests involved battery, robberies, vehicle thefts, among other offenses.
