Charges of residential burglary and robbery have been filed against the two men arrested in connection with a home-invasion robbery and beating in Lompoc earlier this month.
- Arrests made in connection with Lompoc home-invasion robbery
Ruben Jesse Gomez, Jr. and Javier Castillo Vasquez, both 38 and from Santa Maria, were handcuffed when they appeared in a Lompoc courtroom Wednesday for their arraignment but did not enter pleas. The judge did not allow cameras in the courtroom.
Gomez and Vasquez were arrested Saturday, a week after the attack on a 65-year-old man at his home in the Lasalle Canyon Road area near Lompoc.
The victim was beaten and robbed in the early-morning hours of Jan. 12 when a man rang the victim’s doorbell and told him he was with the sheriff’s office and needed to speak with him, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities say the victim, after opening the door, was attacked and struck multiple times with a gun and something similar to a nightstick.
The suspects reportedly demanded money and guns from the man, who was eventually able to get away and call for help.
The victim’s injuries included cuts to his face and a fractured skull. He is expected to survive, authorities said.
They say one of the men was known to the victim prior to the incident.
Along with the burglary and robbery charges, special allegations were listed on the complaint of inflicting great bodily injury and the victim being 65 years of age or older, something prosecutors said would have been known to the suspects prior to the alleged attack.
The judge Wednesday reduced bail for both Gomez and Vasquez from $1 million to $175,000. Both men remained in custody late Wednesday afternoon, according to jail logs.
Gomez and Vasquez are scheduled to be back in court Thursday for their continued arraignment.
A protective order was also issued to keep the suspects away from the victim.
