Rohnert Park man arrested on suspicion of casing cars

A man who was arrested on suspicion of casing cars in a Rohnert Park neighborhood early Friday was linked by authorities to other thefts from vehicles in the city.

Joseph Ferretti, 34, of Rohnert Park, was booked Friday into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of felony possession of stolen property, committing a felony while out on bail and several other charges tied to recent thefts, the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety said in a news release.

His arrest happened after a 4:29 a.m. report of a man on a bicycle looking into cars in Rohnert Park’s G Section. The man was last seen in Golis Park, off the eastern end of Golf Course Drive.

The man fled on his bicycle and dropped an upper receiver to an AR-15 rifle when police found him, authorities said. He was later located in a culvert at the former Gold Ridge Elementary School campus and arrested.

Ferretti was later identified as the suspect who fled from a stolen car early Thursday in another part of the city, police said. Stolen property was located inside the vehicle.

A search of Ferretti’s home via a search warrant turned up a shotgun, IDs, credit cards and other items swiped from vehicles in the city, police said. Ferretti was freed on bail by Friday afternoon.

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com.