Duo Arrested For Armed Robberies In Petaluma, Rohnert Park: Police

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Two Petaluma residents were arrested Thursday in connection with armed robberies at a Wells Fargo ATM, a 7-Eleven store and a 76 gas station. According to Petaluma police, James David Baetz, 19, and Ricardo Daniel Ortiz-Martin, 18, were taken into custody at 12:46 p.m. Thursday at CS Liquor Market in the 400 block of Stony Point Road in Santa Rosa on suspicion of three counts of armed robbery.

Petaluma police Lt. Tim Lyons said detectives had identified Baetz as a possible suspect and were attempting to locate him when they got word that he was possibly in Santa Rosa. With the help of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and the Santa Rosa Police Deprartment, Baetz was arrested as he was walking out of the market, Lyons said. Ortiz-Martin was seated in a vehicle outside the market and was also arrested.

Inside the vehicle, police found a gun, cash, drugs and other evidence allegedly linking Baetz and Ortiz-Martin to the robberies, Lyons said.

Both Baetz and Ortiz-Martin are suspected in an early-morning robbery Aug. 11 at a Wells Fargo ATM in Petaluma in which the suspects placed a gun to the victim’s head and demanded the victim’s cash, Lyons said.

The second robbery police allege the pair is connected to happened just this week at 7-Eleven on Old Redwood Highway in Petaluma. The heist occurred at 1:23 a.m. Wednesday when a suspect brandished a semi-automatic firearm at a store clerk, demanding money.

• Petaluma 7-Eleven Employee Robbed At Gunpoint

The third alleged robbery happened at 1:37 a.m. Thursday at the 76 gas station at 5060 Redwood Drive in Rohnert Park when a suspect brandished a handgun and demanded money from the clerk.

Working together, detectives from the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety and the Petaluma Police Department connected Baetz and Ortiz-Martin to the gas station robbery, Lyons said.

Both suspects were booked into Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility on suspicion of robbery, conspiracy to commit a crime, violation of probation, possession of narcotics and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jail records Friday showed Ortiz-Martin was being without bail and Baetz was being held in lieu of $150,000 bail. Both were due in court Monday.

Police say none of the robbery victims were injured.

Anyone with information about the suspects or the alleged crimes is asked to contact Petaluma police Detective John Silva at 707-778-4372.

Photo via Petaluma Police Department