By Khalida Sarwari
Santa Cruz County sheriff’s deputies today arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with the robbery of a woman at gunpoint earlier this month in unincorporated Santa Cruz.
Franky Don Vultaggio was arrested for an armed robbery that occurred on April 9 at a home in the 3000 block of Roland Drive, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies believe he is the suspect who stopped the victim, a 42-year-old woman, in the driveway of her home, pointed a gun at her and demanded she give him her bag.
Sheriff’s officials said allegedly Vultaggio snatched her bag, which contained money and personal items, and fled. Deputies could not locate him that evening.
As part of its investigation, the sheriff’s office sought assistance from state parole agents and conducted a search Wednesday at Vultaggio’s home in the 1000 block of 30th Avenue, about a block away from the victim’s home.
Inside his home, deputies found items belonging to the victim and determined that Vultaggio matched the description of the suspected provided by the victim, sheriff’s officials said.
Deputies also found drug paraphernalia at Vultaggio’s home.
Vultaggio, a parolee, was arrested and booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on suspicion of violating his parole.
Between Wednesday and today, detectives connected Vultaggio to the April 9 robbery, and he was booked for robbery as well.
Deputies have not yet found the weapon used during the robbery.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the investigation division at (831)
454-2311 or an anonymous tip line at (831) 454-2847.