Police arrest Clearlake man for armed robberies
- Lake County News reports
- Posted On
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police have arrested a Clearlake man who they say was responsible for two armed robberies earlier this month.
Robert Jay Shurtliff, 25, was taken into custody on Saturday afternoon, according to the Clearlake Police Department.
The department said that on March 17 its officers responded to investigate two separate reports of armed robberies at J&L Market, located at 6673 Old Highway 53, and the Valero Gas Station, located at 15413 Lakeshore Drive. During the robberies, money and merchandise were taken.
Police said the initial leads from video surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts indicated the suspect was a male subject who wore a mask, hat and hooded sweatshirt and used a handgun during the commission of each robbery.
Detectives, with the help of patrol officers and the community service officer, distributed fliers of the suspect around the city in attempts to identify him and to make local businesses aware of the recent crimes, police said.
Investigative leads were developed from tips received from the fliers and police said the suspect was identified as Shurtliff.
On Saturday, a patrol officer spotted Shurtliff driving a vehicle, so they conducted a stop on the vehicle on Old Highway 53 at Konocti View. Police said Shurtliff was arrested and ultimately confessed to the robberies.
Shurtliff was booked into the Lake County Jail on probable cause for two counts of armed robbery, two counts of brandishing a weapon and one count of possessing a controlled substance, police said.
Shurtliff, whose booking sheet lists his occupation as laborer, is being held on $500,000 bail, according to jail records.
The Clearlake Police Department arrested Shurtliff last April on drug charges, a warrant and for driving without a license, according to local arrest records.