Exclusive: Feds probe Vallejo man over string of retail store robberies
Image: A vehicle captured on a Vallejo traffic surveillance camera last summer is at the center of a federal law enforcement investigation concerning a string of retail store robberies there. (Photo obtained by Solano NewsNet)
Federal investigators are investigating a Vallejo resident who is possibly connected to several retail store robberies that occurred last year, Solano NewsNet has learned.
In a warrant application filed in federal court this week, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says the agency suspects Rodney Caldwell, 56, is responsible for at least six robberies at retailers last summer.
The case against Caldwell began in early July 2020 when Vallejo police officers received a report of a robbery at the CVS Pharmacy along the 3600 block of Sonoma Boulevard. According to store employees, a person carrying a black bag approached a cashier, pointed a black handgun at the worker and demanded cash from the register.
The frightened employee complied, handing over at least $150 to the man. Police reviewed surveillance video and were able to develop a profile of the robbery suspect from that incident.
The suspect robbed the same CVS Pharmacy at least two more times — once in August and again in September — an FBI agent wrote in the warrant, a copy of which was obtained by Solano NewsNet on Tuesday. An IHOP restaurant and a Metro by T-Mobile store were also hit as part of the crime spree, the FBI agent wrote, with the suspect robbing the same Metro by T-Mobile store twice in a one-month span.
Surveillance video obtained by each business revealed the suspect carried the same semi-automatic handgun and walked with a slight limp, the FBI agent affirmed. During several of the crimes, the suspect was seen carrying the same tote bag as well, the agent wrote.
It was the second robbery at the Metro by T-Mobile store that led police to suspect Caldwell may have been responsible for the crimes: Surveillance video obtained from that incident showed a person arriving and leaving in a black, two-door Mercedes, the FBI agent said.
A Vallejo police detective used the city’s traffic surveillance system to run a search of all vehicles that matched the description of the one used in the Metro by T-Mobile store robbery. There were few returns, the FBI agent said, but one photo included a car with a license plate that returned to Caldwell.
Caldwell is no stranger to law enforcement: At the time of the alleged robberies, he was on active probation for a felony crime that occurred in Fairfield, according to court records reviewed by Solano NewsNet. Between 2019 and last year, Caldwell was stopped twice for various traffic-related infringements, according to the FBI agent’s statement.
During one of those stops, a Vallejo police officer searched Caldwell’s vehicle and located a toy handgun that was wrapped in a ski mask, the FBI agent wrote. He was also observed walking with a limp, similarly to the person who was later seen on the surveillance tapes of the robberies.
Caldwell was also contacted by police last summer while officers were investigating a car crash. Before leaving, he reportedly provided police with a phone number where he could be contacted at a later time. Officers traced the phone number and learned it was the same one that Caldwell had given to his probation officers.
In March, the FBI requested a search warrant that ultimately forced T-Mobile to reveal certain information about Caldwell’s phone usage. The FBI said records provided by T-Mobile placed Caldwell’s phone in Vallejo on the same days that the robberies took place, but they were unable to pinpoint his location to each retailer.
Police began surveilling Caldwell last September and learned the man split his time between a Kentucky Avenue apartment and a home along the 100 block of Harvard Avenue, the FBI agent said. The Mercedes sedan suspected of being connected to some of the robberies was found at each location on different days, the agent affirmed. Officers were watching him as recently as late June, the search warrant application said.
On Monday, a federal judge granted the FBI’s request to search the Harvard Avenue home and the Mercedes vehicle that is believed to be connected to the crime spree. The judge also said the FBI was permitted to seize and inspect Caldwell’s cell phone as part of their investigation.
Jail booking records reviewed by Solano NewsNet did not show Caldwell in custody, and he has not been formally named a suspect by local police, the FBI or the U.S. Attorney’s Office as of Wednesday evening.
Connect with Solano NewsNet on Twitter and Facebook for breaking news updates.
We’re proud to produce independent news for Solano County. This newsletter is an all-volunteer effort. If you would like to show your appreciation, consider making a donation in any amount or signing up for a paid subscription.