Jaray Simmons, Armed Home Invasion Robbery, California 2019

A grim reminder of the dangers of armed home invasion robberies hit Northern California when a group of suspects, led by Jaray Simmons, targeted homes in search of marijuana for resale on the East Coast. The brazen heists left a trail of victims bound with duct tape, threatened with guns, and dragged by the hair.

According to court documents, Simmons, 29, of Winston-Salem, N.C., pleaded guilty to the charges on May 7, 2019. He was one of eight codefendants who agreed to conduct armed home invasion robberies in northern California, targeting houses believed to contain bulk quantities of marijuana and the cash proceeds of marijuana sales.

The suspects traveled from Winston-Salem to Sacramento, where they obtained multiple weapons and supplies, including jackets, duffel bags, scissors, a vacuum sealer, and vacuum bags. The items were meant to package the stolen marijuana for shipment to the East Coast.

On March 12, 2019, the group met in Novato, Calif., and traveled to a residential street in Petaluma. The suspects kicked open the front door of the first residence and six of them entered. The occupants, a man and a woman, were forced inside the bathroom and bound with duct tape. At least one suspect threatened to kill the victims if they didn’t cooperate, while another pointed a firearm at them to threaten them into providing the location of marijuana and money.

The suspects then broke into a nearby second house, where they encountered another woman who was dragged by the hair and locked inside a closet. Two suspects outside the house encountered a neighbor, brought him in, and pointed a gun at him, tying him with an electrical extension cord and repeatedly striking him while asking where the marijuana and money were located.

As the police approached, the suspects left the house and attempted to escape in the two vehicles they arrived in. They were eventually apprehended, some as they abandoned their vehicle, others when they arrived at San Francisco International Airport later in the afternoon of March 12, 2018, and one defendant several days later.

On April 26, 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Simmons and seven codefendants, charging all with conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce. Simmons was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay $20,275.73 in restitution. The Honorable Edward M. Chen, U.S. District Judge, handed down the sentence.

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