Sonoma Wells Fargo Bank robbery ends in arrest of two

A man and young woman were picked up moments after a robbery of the Wells Fargo Bank in Sonoma - and were arrested outside St. Francis Church (with video).|

A Wedding to Remember

While the police apprehended the suspects in the Wells Fargo Bank robbery on Saturday, Sept. 9, two wedding parties were crossing paths on the steps of St. Francis Solano Church at West Napa and 3rd Street West.

"It was quite chaotic here," said the church's wedding coordinator, Liz Tinoco. She said the 12:30 ceremony was just ending and guests were gathering for the 2:30 ceremony when police arrived, surrounding the suspects' truck and blocking off 3rd Street.

"We were trying to figure out if the guests were going to be able to leave or not," said Ticono.

But she added that the police were very kind and helpful. "We were glad to know we were safe, and they got who they were looking for."

As if Wells Fargo doesn’t have enough headaches these days, the Sonoma branch at Fifth Street West and West Napa Street was victimized by an old-fashioned bank robbery on Saturday afternoon.

Shortly before 2 p.m., the Sonoma Police Department received a call from the Wells Fargo Bank that a robbery had just occurred. The call came moments after a woman who had been standing in line with a shoulder bag and lunch box walked up to a teller, placed the lunch box on the counter and pulled out a note demanding the lunch box be filled with large bills.

The teller complied with the woman’s demands, giving her money from the drawer, after which the suspect left. When the teller called the police station, she described the suspect as wearing a white T-shirt, dark glasses and a baseball cap with the Nike swoop.

Apparently the suspects were taking the “Just Do It” philosophy too much to heart. Earlier that same day, the Napa Police Department had distributed an informational flier warning nearby law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for 34-year-old Catrina Hockney, from Napa, and 45-year-old Miguel Maravilla, from Vallejo. Both were listed as subjects of interest in numerous attempted robberies in Napa.

The informational flier also described the tan Chevrolet pickup that the couple had been using, and when Sonoma Police arrived on the scene they saw a tan pickup pulling away from the area. The deputies followed the truck and made a traffic stop two blocks away, at Third Street West. And while a wedding party on the steps of St. Francis Solano Church watched, they made an arrest.

At the time of traffic stop, Maravilla was driving and Hockney was lying down in the back seat of the “king cab” truck, attempting to change her clothes. After the arrest, deputies found a large amount of cash on Hockney.

Both Hockney and Maravilla were booked into the Sonoma County Jail on felony charges of robbery and conspiracy. They remain in custody with bail set at $500,000 each, with a court appearance scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 1:30 p.m.

Following their arrest in Sonoma, Napa police obtained a search warrant for their and recovered items implicating them in several robberies and attempted robberies.

On Monday, Sept. 11, Hockney communicated with her mother through a third party, and directed her to retrieve something hidden in the apartment. Napa police arrested Shontaine Brayton as she was leaving the residence carrying a handgun in a bucket. She was booked into Napa County jail.

Email Christian at christian.kallen@sonomanews.com.

A Wedding to Remember

While the police apprehended the suspects in the Wells Fargo Bank robbery on Saturday, Sept. 9, two wedding parties were crossing paths on the steps of St. Francis Solano Church at West Napa and 3rd Street West.

"It was quite chaotic here," said the church's wedding coordinator, Liz Tinoco. She said the 12:30 ceremony was just ending and guests were gathering for the 2:30 ceremony when police arrived, surrounding the suspects' truck and blocking off 3rd Street.

"We were trying to figure out if the guests were going to be able to leave or not," said Ticono.

But she added that the police were very kind and helpful. "We were glad to know we were safe, and they got who they were looking for."

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