Gang Member Sought In Santa Rosa Home Invasion Murder Arrested In Virginia
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) -- A female gang member wanted in the February slaying of a man during a Sonoma County home invasion was found hiding in a Richmond, Virginia attic and arrested, authorities said.
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that Amber Hembree, who also is known by her Crips gang name "Skittles," had been booked into a jail in Chesterfield County, a suburb of Richmond and will be extradited to the Bay Area to face a murder charge
She was arrested on Monday morning by agents from the US Marshals Service who found her hiding in an attic of the home located in the 12000 block of Chestertowne Rd. She was armed with a stolen, loaded handgun but was taken into custody without incident, the sheriff's office said.
Hembree was being held no a bail warrant, charging her with one count of murder, four counts of robbery and one count of kidnapping.
Detectives from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office immediately flew to Virginia to interview her. Hembree was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday in Virginia and was expected to be extradited to Sonoma County in the near future.
Hembree is accused, along with four other men, of committing two Sonoma County home invasion robberies while searching for marijuana. One home invasion robbery occurred in the 1900 block of Fulton Rd, the other occurred in the 3600 block of Melcon Ln, both in unincorporated Santa Rosa.
In both of these cases victims were tied up and a man at each home was shot. In the robbery on Melcon Lane, the victim, 54-year-old Jose Luis Torres, died as a result of his gunshot wounds. The victim from Fulton Rd has survived his injury.
Four suspects, Tyrone Mcrae, 25, of Jackson, Mississippi, Jonathan Jackson, 19, of Richmond Hill, New York, Mussie Himed, 27, of Santa Rosa and David Ealey, 23, of Richmond, Virgina were arrested in the hours after the robberies. Each has been charged with murder, robbery, kidnapping, false imprisonment and conspiracy.
Three of the suspects were arrested in Vallejo and a fourth suspect was arrested at a Motel 6 in Santa Rosa.