More charges in armored car robberies

<p>Sonoma County prosecutors filed two more felony charges Wednesday against a former Santa Rosa and Sonoma State University police officer in connection with four armored car heists.</p><p>Robert “Steve” Starling, 35, of Santa Rosa now faces 12 felony charges and one misdemeanor count involving robberies in Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Novato from Sept 2007 through May.</p><p>His alleged accomplice, Andrew Cooper Esslinger, 26, also of Santa Rosa, is charged with six felonies, including the Sebastopol and Novato robberies.</p><p>“This is still an ongoing investigation,” prosecutor Marianna Green said. “We’re continuing to uncover new evidence every day.” </p><p>Both men also are accused of calling in fake reports to police in an effort to draw law enforcement resources away from their planned thefts. Those ruse calls include a costly and frightening police call-out to Rancho Cotate High School that caused a lockdown of hundreds of students.</p><p>Starling is accused of wielding a gun in the heists, but no one was hurt. Each of those four counts could add a decade to any sentence if he is convicted of the crimes.</p><p>On Wednesday, Green filed an amended criminal complaint that alleges Starling tried to dissuade a potential witness from helping police in the investigation. The complaint accuses him of trying to intimidate Daniel Sullivan, a possible witness, Green said. It says Starling tried to keep Sullivan quiet about the crimes over two months-long time periods before and after the heists.</p><p>Judge Arthur “Andy” Wick approved a restraining order preventing Starling from trying to contact Sullivan for a year.</p><p>Starling and Esslinger both entered not guilty pleas Wednesday to all charges. Wick kept their bail at $1 million.</p><p>A preliminary hearing, at which time prosecutors will present evidence to try to persuade Wick there is enough evidence to move toward a trial, was set for Oct. 22.</p><p>The heists, from four armored cars delivering money to banks, netted the men more than $400,000, Santa Rosa police said. They said Starling used the money to finance two indoor marijuana gardens, among other things.</p><p>Starling was a police officer for Santa Rosa and SSU between December 2000 and July 2006. Esslinger’s occupation wasn’t known.</p><p>Starling worked as a probationary Santa Rosa police officer from December 2000 to April 2001 before moving to SSU. In May 2003, he returned to Santa Rosa as a patrol officer but quit in July 2006.</p><p>Starling tried to get his SSU job back, but wasn’t rehired. He also briefly worked for Brinks as an armored carrier employee and for two years as a security guard at a local hospital.</p><p>Police believe he used some of his knowledge of police tactics and armored car company procedures in planning the heists.</p>