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Clearlake man arrested on suspicion of robbing Ukiah Walmart
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Authorities have arrested a Clearlake man who they say was responsible for robbing the Ukiah Walmart on July 11 and also is a suspect in an attempted theft at the Clearlake Walmart.
Michael Christopher Drebaum, 33, was taken into custody by a Clearlake Police officer during a warrant service on Tuesday afternoon.
The Ukiah Police Department said its officers responded to a report of a robbery at Walmart last Friday.
Witnesses said the male subject who committed the robbery displayed a firearm and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. He was seen getting into a Nissan Sentra, which was driven away by another person.
Ukiah Police detectives assumed the investigation and worked to identify the man responsible for the robbery. In the process, the agency said its detectives received information from the Ukiah and Clearlake Walmart stores and determined that a suspect in a recent theft at the Clearlake Walmart resembled the suspect in the Ukiah Walmart robbery.
On July 10, Clearlake Walmart employees had observed Drebaum exit the store with unpaid merchandise, which he dropped and fled before he could be apprehended, according to information received by Ukiah Police's detectives.
The employees of the Clearlake Walmart store suspected Drebaum was associated with a Nissan Sentra located in the parking lot and being driven by a female, who also fled, according to the Ukiah Police report.
Officials said Drebaum also is suspected of previously having smashed the jewelry display case at the Clearlake Walmart in order to steal the jewelry the case contained.
Drebaum was familiar to both Clearlake Police officers and to Clearlake Walmart employees and was a suspect in a series of thefts from the store, according to the Ukiah Police report. Drebaum also had several warrants for his arrest in Lake County.
Ukiah Police's detectives worked with Clearlake Police and over a course of several days performed surveillance on the Sentra associated with Drebaum. They also identified locations Drebaum frequented, officials said.
An arrest and search warrant was obtained for Drebaum, and on Tuesday evening Ukiah Police and Clearlake Police served the warrants at an address on Highlands Way in Clearlake, according to the report.
Drebaum was located at the scene and taken into custody. Clothing and other items of evidence, including the firearm, linking Drebaum to the robbery in Ukiah, were found, the Ukiah Police report said.
The firearm police located was determined to be a BB gun which, in every way, appears to be a genuine firearm, police said.
Clearlake Police also located evidence linking Drebaum to the series of thefts from the Clearlake Walmart, the report noted.
The Ukiah Police Department said it continues to examine evidence and develop leads in the effort to identify the driver of Drebaum’s getaway vehicle used in the Ukiah robbery.
Drebaum was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for his arrest warrants and for robbery.
Listed as a chef on his booking sheet, Drebaum remained in custody on Thursday, with bail set at $250,000. Jail records indicate he has a tentative court date of July 22.
The Ukiah Police Department thanked the Clearlake Police Department and its officers for their help in the investigation, noting that Clearlake Police's assistance was instrumental in solving this case so quickly.