Cotati Robbery Suspect Arrested

A suspect in the robbery of a market near Cotati Sunday afternoon was arrested Monday after his photo taken by the store’s video camera was posted online, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said.

Noel Cortez Ortiz, 34, of Petaluma was arrested at his home on Acorn Drive in Petaluma and booked for robbery in the Sonoma County Jail, sheriff’s Sgt. Cecile Focha said.

The sheriff’s office posted a news release with photos of the suspect and his truck around 10 a.m. Monday, and it received the first tip from an anonymous caller 45 minutes later, Focha said. Ortiz was arrested three hours later.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Sonoma County Superior Court Wednesday for the robbery of the market in the 7100 block of state Highway 116 in unincorporated Sonoma County around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Focha said.

When the market clerk gave the suspect $300 cash and told him he was being recorded on the surveillance camera, the suspect looked directly at the camera.

His photo and one of his truck were posted online, and the anonymous caller was able to recognize the suspect and the truck, Focha said.

--Bay City News