San Luis Obispo man sentenced to 25 to life for robbing, tying up elderly woman
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – A San Luis Obispo man who robbed and tied up an elderly woman during a home invasion has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Johnny Jesse Roman, 39, received his sentence in court Tuesday. Roman was arrested earlier this year for a violent home invasion in rural San Luis Obispo County.
In February, Roman broke into the home of a 75-year-old woman, tied her up, stole thousands in cash and left with the woman's pickup truck. The elderly victim stayed tied up in her home for several hours before she was discovered by a family member.
The sheriff's office released a "Be on the Lookout" alert asking for the community's help in locating the stolen truck, which was later recovered several days later near San Jose.
Roman was identified as the suspect in the home invasion and an arrest warrant was issued. On March 18, nearly a month after the crime was committed, Roman was arrested in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
He was later extradited to San Luis Obispo County to face charges for the home invasion.
On Oct. 19, Roman pleaded no contest to all charges including charges for residential burglary and one count of grand theft auto.
According to San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow, Roman also admitted to being previously convicted of two other violent felonies under the state's Three Strikes Law. His previous convictions, along with Tuesday's, subjected him to a maximum sentence of 41 years to life in prison.
The prosecutor assigned to the case advocated for the maximum sentence, Dow said, citing the violence inflicted upon the elderly victim and the similarity between this crime and his previous convictions. A plea deal was never agreed to, Dow said.
Ultimately, the judge opted to sentence Roman to 25 years to life in prison, 16 years less than the maximum sentence allowed.
The case was investigated by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office with assistance from the SLO County DA's Bureau of Investigation, with additional help from the Virginia Beach Police Department which arrested Roman back in March.
