Sheriff: Armed robbers invade Santa Rosa family’s home

Three armed men forced their way into a southern Santa Rosa home Sunday night and held up a family, stealing a truck and possibly marijuana, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

The trio burst into the home on Stony Point Road near Todd Road through a converted garage and awakened the family, demanding money, sheriff’s Sgt. Cecile Focha said.

A 50-year-old male resident told deputies he was hit repeatedly in the head with a gun and bound with zip ties. Deputies also were told the man, woman and child were ordered to the floor while the robbers ransacked the home.

The robbers took the family’s pickup as well as money, a cellphone, collectible coins and possibly several pounds of processed marijuana, although that remains under investigation, Focha said.

After the men left, the man’s son called the CHP at 9:45 p.m. to report the truck had been stolen and that his father had taken off after the robbers. When a responding CHP officer learned the vehicle had disappeared during a home invasion robbery, the officer called deputies.

Deputies responding to the 10:40 p.m. call found the house ransacked and evidence that the property was used to grow marijuana.

The male resident had minor injuries from the assault, Focha said.

The truck was found at 1:40 a.m. by a deputy who spotted it parked near West Hearn Avenue at Park Meadow Drive. Inside the unlocked pickup was the stolen cellphone. The keys were in the ignition.

The family told deputies the three men were black and all about 30 to 35 years old. One man stood about 5 feet 7 inches and wore a black-colored hooded sweatshirt and green and white shoes and carried a small black revolver. Another was about 5 feet 9 inches tall with a “chunky” build and wore a short-sleeved T-shirt. He had tattoos on his upper left arm and he carried a black semi-automatic handgun. The third was about 5 feet ?10 inches tall, with a thin build, and wore a dark-colored sweatshirt.

Violent crime detectives Monday were investigating.

Focha asked anyone with information about the crime or the suspects to contact investigators via the tip line at 565-2185. Messages left on the answering machine can be anonymous, she said.