Third suspect arrested in December armed robbery of Santa Rosa man

<p>Police believe a robbery suspect and an accomplice used a 17-year-old Santa Rosa girl to set up the victim of a December assault, instructing her to befriend the target on a social networking website and then arrange to meet him at his home, where he was ambushed.</p><p>Three men have been arrested in the case, the most recent occurring on Tuesday.</p><p>Investigators are trying to determine whether the girl was privy to what they describe as a calculated plan that left the victim bloodied and short on cash, or whether she merely anticipated some sort of confrontation that afternoon, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Ray Navarro said Saturday.</p><p>Her Dec. 22 visit to his southwest Santa Rosa home quickly turned violent when two men, one carrying a handgun, rushed the victim outside his Keegan Drive house, knocked him to the ground when he attempted to run inside, then struck him in the back of the head with the firearm when he attempted to get back up, Navarro said.</p><p>The 18-year-old victim was forced inside and held at gunpoint for 10 or 15 minutes while one of the men rifled through his belongings, eventually taking his wallet, cell phone and some jewelry, police said. One of the men donned a ski mask during the incident, though the victim already had seen them both, Navarro said. </p><p>He said it wasn't clear whether the girl witnessed the robbery or departed as soon as the suspects arrived.</p><p>The apparel of one man initially suggested a gang-related attack, but detectives now believe it was intended as some kind of payback over a personal dispute between the victim and one of the suspects, Navarro said.</p><p>Leads developed in subsequent weeks led to the arrest Jan. 18 of that suspect, David Mendoza, 19, believed to be the girl's boyfriend, Navarro said. </p><p>He was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, and is being held in lieu of $170,000 bail, jail personnel said.</p><p>A search of Mendoza's home on Terry Road did not turn up evidence from the robbery. However, a subsequent search of the Liscum Street home of William Luevano-Vigil, 19, uncovered stolen items, police said, leading to his arrest on suspicion of possessing of stolen property, being an accessory to a crime and violating probation, police said. He was being held with bail of $30,000, jail personnel said.</p><p>Further investigation led to the arrest Tuesday of Jose T. Morales, 26, on suspicion of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. He also remained in custody Saturday with bail set at $80,000, jail personnel said.</p><p>Police are deciding whether to seek charges against the teen-age girl, Navarro said. “We're still looking into her involvement,” he said.</p>