Suspects arrested in armed robberies of Citrus Heights liquor stores

Updated Dec. 10, 5:20 p.m.–
Police said a pair of suspects were arrested this week in connection with nearly a dozen armed robberies of businesses in Sacramento County, including two liquor stores in Citrus Heights.

According to a Dec. 7 news release from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, 23-year-old Kaleb Starks and 22-year-old Mykhel Lee, both residents of Sacramento, are accused of entering 11 businesses over the past three months and demanding money from the cash register, while armed with handguns.

Police Sgt. Jason Baldwin said the robberies in Citrus Heights occurred on Nov. 20 and Nov. 26, both around 11 p.m. One occurred at a liquor store on the 8100 block of Auburn Boulevard and another on the 7600 block of Greenback Lane, both of which were open at the time of robbery.

The sergeant said “good photos” from surveillance cameras inside the stores played a key role in helping identify and link the suspects to the robberies. He said footage was shared with the sheriff’s department, whose robbery detectives were able to locate and arrest Starks and Lee on Dec. 6, according to the news release.

The sheriff’s department said evidence linking the pair to the robberies was located at Starks’ residence. CHPD detectives “also responded and connected both Starks and Lee to two of their armed robbery cases.” The series of 11 robberies all occurred between Sept. 17 and Dec. 3.

Baldwin said the department is “pleased that violent criminals have been taken off the street,” especially during the holiday shopping season when he said shoppers have a heightened concern about crime.

He said local businesses are invited to contact the Citrus Heights Police Department for a crime prevention analysis of their property, which includes recommendations on where to place security cameras and what kind of cameras to buy, as well as exterior lighting and landscape recommendations.

The assessment is called a CPTED analysis, or “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design,” an approach that has gained widespread acceptance by law enforcement. Baldwin said CHPD offers the assessment at no cost to area businesses, as well as to concerned homeowners.

*Correction: An initial version of this story incorrectly reported the date of one of the robberies as Nov. 11. Police said the Citrus Heights robberies occurred on Nov. 20 and Nov. 26.