Three Men, Two Guns Stymied by a Ten Year Old's Sharp Ears

A ten year old girl’s sharp ears alerted her father to the presence of alleged robbers.

Humboldt CO Sheriff Press Release:

On 03-14-2012, approximately 10:00 p.m. the Humboldt County Sheriffs Office received a 911 call from a homeowner regarding vandalism to a gate and possible trespassing in progress that was occurring in the 1100 block of Railroad Avenue, McKinleyville. When the initial deputy arrived on scene he saw a male suspect walking towards the residence’s gate. The deputy attempted verbal contact with the suspect, and the suspect ignored the deputy’s instructions to stop. The suspect then began walking through the gate towards the residence at which point the deputy grabbed the suspect from behind and detained him. At that point the suspect identified as Tyrone Douglas, 33 years old from Eureka, told the deputy he had a gun concealed in a shoulder holster. The deputy removed a semi-automatic.40 caliber loaded handgun from a shoulder holster the suspect was wearing, along with an extra loaded magazine.

Another deputy arrived and located two more suspects at the scene who were also detained. Those suspects were identified as Jorge Rosco, 30 years old from Eureka, and Ross Moriel, 25 years old, from Oakland. A warrant check on Rosco revealed he was wanted on three arrest warrants for driving under the influence. When the deputy searched Roscoe they located five live .357 rounds in his pocket.

After the three suspects were secured the deputies spoke with the homeowner. The homeowner told the deputies he lives in the home with his ten year old daughter. His daughter heard a noise outside her bedroom window and alerted her father, the homeowner. The homeowner has a security camera which he checked, and saw Douglass at his front door unscrewing the porch light. The homeowner then heard the front door handle jiggling and he could see three to four males outside his home. He watched  the males walking around the backyard and side yard of his residence as if, “casing” his home. He immediately called 911. He told the deputies he had no idea why they came to his property, pushed open the locked gate and attempted to gain entry into the home.

Deputies spoke with another male witness who lived in the front part of the residence who identified Rosco as his nephew; however he has seldom been at the residence and was not supposed to be there that night.

While searching the crime scene deputies located another loaded handgun, a Smith and Wesson .357 revolver in the grass near the residence. One of the suspects told the deputies Douglass believed the victim owed him money, so they came to the residence to collect it.

All three of the suspects were booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on attempted robbery. Douglass was also booked on possession of a loaded concealed firearm. Roscoe was booked on the outstanding arrest warrants. Douglass and Moriel’s bail was set at $50,000.00. Rosco was set at $75,000.00 because of the arrest warrants.

Anyone with information for the Sheriffs Office regarding this case or criminal related activity is encouraged to call the Sheriffs Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriffs Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539. If you live in the City Limits of Eureka the Eureka Police Problem Oriented Policing Unit can be reached at 707-441-4373