Nude robbery victim arrested

[movieguy]

Nude robbery victim arrested

DAVID L. TEIBEL

Tucson Citizen

Tucson Police arrested a naked man who allegedly fired a shotgun at officers from the rooftop of a house where they were investigating a home invasion early today.

Joseph Ramirez, 48, of the 6000 block of East Sylvane Street, was arrested on suspicion of five counts of aggravated assault with a firearm on police officers, one count of endangerment and one of prohibited possession of a weapon, said Sgt. Marco Borboa, a police spokesman. He did not know why Ramirez was prohibited from possessing weapons.

Officers also arrested a visitor at the home, Tricia McGrath, 34, of the 6100 block of East Bellevue Street, on suspicion of possession of dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Both were being held without bail in the Pima County Jail pending an initial court appearance tonight.

Police were tipped to the home invasion by a female resident who had locked herself in a room and used a cell phone to call 911, Borboa said.

Several of the suspects escaped, fleeing the home either before police arrived or just as they were arriving, he said.

McGrath, traveling in an SUV and a man on a motorcycle who had arrived to visit the residents of the home saw people running away, Borboa said.

When police arrived, they ordered McGrath out of the SUV and the man off his motorcycle, and the woman in the house also came outside. As that was happening several shotgun pellets peppered the SUV and one grazed an officer's arm, Borboa said. The officer was not seriously hurt and remained on duty, he said.

The officers took cover and called for the police SWAT team, which surrounded the house while officers tried to talk the man out of the home, Borboa said. Officers did not return fire, he said.

Police eventually spotted Ramirez on the pitched roof, naked and hiding behind air conditioning duct work and partially obscured by tree limbs, Borboa said.

He was talked into coming down and surrendered to police without further incident about 2:50 a.m., he said.

McGrath was arrested after a search of her SUV turned up a small amount of methamphetamine, Borboa said. Detective Sgt. Tammie Penta said some methamphetamine paraphernalia also was found in the SUV. She was not sure what the paraphernalia was.

A search of the home turned up drug pipes, Borboa said.

Police learned the home had been invaded in a residential robbery about two weeks ago, Borboa said, but that incident was not reported to police earlier. Borboa did not know why the residents did not report that incident.

Some items were taken in today's invasion, Penta said, but she would not say what they were. Detectives do not know why the home was targeted by the intruders, she said.

Police said Ramirez was arrested based on comments made my the woman who lives at the home and evidence at the scene, including the shotgun being found outside the house. Borboa did not know if Ramirez and the woman are married.

Borboa said Ramirez told officers the intruders had ordered him to disrobe, but he did not know why Ramirez was on the roof.

tucsoncitizens.com