Stanislaus County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating a home invasion robbery that occurred in the early morning hours of Thursday at a Denair ranch.
The three suspects in the robbery remain at large and the sheriff’s department is hoping the public might offer up a clue as to their whereabouts and/or identities.
The male victim of the home invasion, age unknown, appeared to have not been harmed during the ordeal, said sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Winter.
The incident took place in the 6000 block of N. Gratton Road at 6:20 a.m. Thursday.
The victim told the investigators that he was home alone when three men, all wearing hooded sweatshirts, forced their way into the home.
The suspects held the victim inside the house and demanded he hand over any cash in the house, Winter said. The suspects stole the victim’s money and his 2005 Chevy Tahoe.
It’s unknown how long the suspects were in the house. The victim said he waited about an hour before he ran to a neighbor’s house to report the robbery, because he was afraid
the suspects might still be lurking in the area.
It’s also unknown if the victim and/or the house were specifically targeted or if it was a random choice by the suspects. Winter said investigators are looking into the possibility the home invasion was drug-related, but that it was too early in the investigation to say definitively.
The site of the home invasion is an isolated home surrounded by orchards.
Deputies from the Merced County Sheriff’s Department recovered the victim’s vehicle in the Stevinson area at approximately 9:30 a.m. There were no signs of the suspects near the vehicle at that time, Winter said.
Thursday’s robbery shares similarities to a home invasion robbery that occurred in Denair in late January. In that incident, three men forced their way into two trailers at an almond processing plant on Montpelier Road and beat, bound and robbed three men. The suspects were not apprehended.
“Detectives are looking at the possibility that the two are related, but at this time, it doesn’t appear to be so,” Winter said.
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact Detective Darwin Hatfield at 525-7100. Callers can also leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636. Tipsters can also e-mail tips at http://www.modestopolice.com/CrimeStoppers, or text them to CRIMES (274637) by typing "Tip704" plus the message. Tipsters are eligible for cash rewards.
To contact Sabra Stafford, e-mail sstafford@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2002.
The three suspects in the robbery remain at large and the sheriff’s department is hoping the public might offer up a clue as to their whereabouts and/or identities.
The male victim of the home invasion, age unknown, appeared to have not been harmed during the ordeal, said sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Winter.
The incident took place in the 6000 block of N. Gratton Road at 6:20 a.m. Thursday.
The victim told the investigators that he was home alone when three men, all wearing hooded sweatshirts, forced their way into the home.
The suspects held the victim inside the house and demanded he hand over any cash in the house, Winter said. The suspects stole the victim’s money and his 2005 Chevy Tahoe.
It’s unknown how long the suspects were in the house. The victim said he waited about an hour before he ran to a neighbor’s house to report the robbery, because he was afraid
the suspects might still be lurking in the area.
It’s also unknown if the victim and/or the house were specifically targeted or if it was a random choice by the suspects. Winter said investigators are looking into the possibility the home invasion was drug-related, but that it was too early in the investigation to say definitively.
The site of the home invasion is an isolated home surrounded by orchards.
Deputies from the Merced County Sheriff’s Department recovered the victim’s vehicle in the Stevinson area at approximately 9:30 a.m. There were no signs of the suspects near the vehicle at that time, Winter said.
Thursday’s robbery shares similarities to a home invasion robbery that occurred in Denair in late January. In that incident, three men forced their way into two trailers at an almond processing plant on Montpelier Road and beat, bound and robbed three men. The suspects were not apprehended.
“Detectives are looking at the possibility that the two are related, but at this time, it doesn’t appear to be so,” Winter said.
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact Detective Darwin Hatfield at 525-7100. Callers can also leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636. Tipsters can also e-mail tips at http://www.modestopolice.com/CrimeStoppers, or text them to CRIMES (274637) by typing "Tip704" plus the message. Tipsters are eligible for cash rewards.
To contact Sabra Stafford, e-mail sstafford@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2002.
