March 8-12: Search for Burglary Suspect Leads Officers to Separate Drug Arrest

A verbal dispute between a boyfriend and girlfriend turned violent, resulting in the girlfriend taking a trip to Sacramento County's Main Jail. The fight broke out on March 6 around 6:45 p.m. prompting Sacrament County Sheriff's deputies to respond to the 7700 block of Kanihan Court, according to a deputy's report. When deputies arrived on the scene, the suspect, Erica Roberts, 35, and her boyfriend were in a verbal altercation that turned physical. Roberts hit her boyfriend in the face with a closed fist and bit him. The victim sustained bruising on his eyebrow and a bite mark on his forearm. He also refused medical treatment. S-1 was arrested for domestic violence and transported to the Main Jail for booking.

"It is not uncommon for us to get calls where the female is identified as the primary aggressor (quite common, actually)," Sacramento Sheriff's spokesman Jason Ramos said in an e-mailed response. "The Penal Code section dealing with domestic violence/spousal abuse states that officers shall make an arrest whenever one of two conditions are present: 1) visible sign of injury, or 2) complaint of pain (however slight)."

Ramos went on to explain the gender of the suspect does not come into play when making the determination whether or not an arrest is to be made.

Caught brass-handed

It was around 2:43 a.m. on March 8 when Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies responding to a silent burglary alarm at Orangevale Open Elementary School bumped into James Wegmann.

The deputies heard noise coming from one of the campus bathrooms when Wegmann, 46, exited the bathroom with a pair of pliers in his hand. He was handcuffed and detained without incident.

"Wegmann was pretty much caught in the act," Ramos said. "He invoked his Miranda rights, and elected not to give a statement to officers."

According to the deputies' report, most of the brass pipefittings had been removed from the sinks and toilets inside the bathroom. A screwdriver and gloves were also found on Wegmann's person. He was arrested for burglary and possession of burglary tools and transported to the Main Jail without incident.

Search for burglary suspect leads to separate arrest

Update:

Ramos said deputies returned later that day to look for the burglar suspect.

"He ran and jumped a few fences, but they found him a few houses away trying to hide," he said. "He was booked for an active warrant, and has since been released."

Original story:

Deputies searching for an area burglar on March 9 were brought to a 5400 Norway Drive residence after receiving a call from two of the suspect's female friends. Upon arriving at the residence, the friends, later identified as Jaime Funk, 23, and Kerrylynn Nagasawa, 35, told officers that the suspect had fled immediately prior to them arriving. After further investigation of the home, officers observed a hypodermic syringe on a nearby table, prompting them to detain Funk and Nagasawa for further investigation, according to the deputies' report.

While attempting to find identification in the females' purses, officers recovered what appeared to be methamphetamine. In addition to several Vicodin pills, hypodermic syringes, one counterfeit $100 bill was found inside one of the purses. Both women were arrested and booked at the Main Jail.

For questions about this blotter, email joshua.staab@patch.com.