Pair arrested, one at large in Santa Rosa home-invasion robbery

 The Sanskrit greeting "namaste" on the personalized license plate of a Jaguar led detectives to one of three men suspected of invading a Santa Rosa home in a hunt for marijuana, Santa Rosa police officials said.

Two men were arrested and a third remained at large Thursday, all suspected in the robbery reported at 3:10 p.m. Wednesday at a home on Vallejo Street near Hoen Avenue, Sgt. Rainier Navarro said.

The suspect still being sought, Geoffrey Michaelis, 33, of Santa Rosa, was described as 5-foot-10 and about 200 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, Navarro said.

Gerald Venditti, 69, of Graton and Andrew Pickering, 21, of Santa Rosa were arrested on suspicion of residential robbery and making death threats, Navarro said.

The suspects had been robbed themselves, and were trying to steal their marijuana back, Navarro said.

A 17-year-old girl, 18-year-old man and 46-year-old woman were at home when the three men knocked at their door, Navarro said.

"They came into the house and once they were inside they brandished the handguns," Navarro said. The men said they were looking for marijuana and electronics, and made threats, police were told.

The residents had no marijuana but handed over a phone and an iPod, Navarro said. The men left the home in the Jaguar with personalized license plates.

A Sonoma County sheriff's deputy spotted the car on Barlow Lane near Sebastopol and pulled it over. Venditti was behind the wheel and was arrested, Navarro said.

The occupants of the Vallejo street home knew the intruders, two by name and one by sight, Navarro said.

At about 9:30 p.m., officers spotted Pickering in a passing car, Navarro said. Mendocino Avenue near Chanate Road was closed for about 15 minutes as the officers called for assistance and pulled over the car. Pickering was arrested.

Detectives searched two homes, one on Iowa Street in Santa Rosa and the other on Cider Springs Road near Sebastopol, in connection with the case.

Venditti posted bond on $40,000 bail Thursday, Sonoma County Jail officials said. Pickering remained in custody in lieu of $40,000 bail and was scheduled to appear in court todday, officials said.

Anyone with information about Michaelis' whereabouts and the case can call the Santa Rosa police investigations team at 543-3590.

You can reach Staff WriterJulie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com.