Man charged with home invasions while posing as a deliveryman

Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release: August 19, 2014

Case# 14WF3126

MAN TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR HOME INVASION ROBBERY AT GUNPOINT WHILE POSING AS DELIVERYMAN IN TWO NEIGHBORHOODS

*Two other men involved in this case remain unidentified and at large

WESTMINSTER – A man is scheduled to be arraigned today for posing as a deliveryman and committing home invasion robberies of occupants at gunpoint in Garden Grove. Jerry Cleveland Coleman, 34, Garden Grove, is charged with seven felony counts of first degree robbery in concert, seven felony counts of imprisonment by violence or deceit, seven felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, two felony counts of dissuading a witness by force or threat, two felony count of criminal threats, and sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a firearm and committing a crime against a vulnerable victim. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 100 years in state prison. The People will be requesting he be held on $1 million bail at his arraignment today in Department W-2, West Justice Center, Westminster. The time is to be determined.

At approximately 3:45 p.m. on Aug. 11, 2014, Coleman is accused of posing as a deliveryman by carrying a bouquet of flowers and a clipboard and knocking on the door of a Garden Grove home occupied at the time by two teenagers and a 23-year-old woman. When one of the victims opened the door, Coleman and another man are accused of forcing their way inside the home using a handgun along with a third accomplice. The defendants are accused of threatening the victims and taking the victims’ property. Coleman is accused of being seen on home surveillance before fleeing the scene.

At approximately 11:00 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2014, Coleman and two men are accused of walking into a gated residential complex in Garden Grove while one of them was carrying a large bundle of balloons posing as a deliveryman, and entering a home through the open garage. The men are accused of using plastic zip-ties to bind three children and two adults inside the home. Coleman is accused of forcing the two adult victims at gunpoint to disclose where the valuables inside the home were located while the other two men are accused of robbing the victims of their home belongings. The defendants are accused of then forcing the bound victims into a downstairs bathroom, threatening them, and fleeing the scene.

On Aug. 15, 2014, the Garden Grove Police Department, who investigated this case, arrested Coleman after following up with leads during the investigation. The investigation by GGPD is ongoing.

Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact GGPD at (714) 741-5800 or Supervising District Attorney Investigator Carlos Field at (714) 834-5649.

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Tony Rackauckas, District Attorney
401 Civic Center Drive West
Santa Ana, CA 92701

Contacts:

Susan Kang Schroeder
Chief of Staff
Office: 714-347-8408
Cell: 714-292-2718

Farrah Emami
Director of Public Affairs
Office: 714-347-8405
Cell: 714-323-4486