On October 5, 2015, at approximately 2:29PM, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a report of a physical assault. They went to an address in the 200 block of Darbster Place in north Santa Rosa, the Larkfield area. Paramedics were there treating a seventy-four year old female suffering traumatic injuries. She had had been violently attacked and the suspect was no longer on scene.
The woman had blood covering her face, neck and arms. She told the Deputies that her 56 year old son, Robert Churich, had struck her repeatedly with a cast iron pan. He left the scene in her car. The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment of her injuries.
Deputies spoke with neighbors who reported that the elderly woman came to their house screaming for help saying that her son had attacked her. The neighbors called 911.
Dispatch broadcast a statewide ‘Be On the Lookout’ for Churich and the stolen car. Deputies contacted his girlfriend, Barbara Soiland, but she hadn’t seen him or the car.
It was soon learned that Churich lives at the home with his elderly mother in the residence. She was demanding that he move out of her house. He became enraged and attacked her, eventually striking her repeatedly in the head with three different cast iron frying pans as she lay helpless on the floor. As he broke each upon her, he armed himself with another. He left her for dead and took off in her car.
The victim’s cell phone and credit cards were missing. It was discovered that Churich was using the card at various businesses in San Francisco in the early morning hours. Deputies continued to search for her car and this afternoon, around 1:08 PM, Healdsburg Police Officer spotted it driving slowly near the tracks at Healdsburg Avenue. There were two people inside the car.
Deputies quickly went to Healdsburg and conducted a high-risk traffic stop on the stolen car. In the car were Churich and Soiland. He was arrested without incident.
Churich was booked into Sonoma County jail for attempted murder, felony elder abuse, criminal threats, false imprisonment, obstructing the victim from using her cellular phone to call law enforcement and vehicle theft. His bail was set at $1,500,000.00 and he is scheduled to appear before a judge on Thursday October 8 at 1:30.
Report # 151005-025
Prepared by Sergeant Cecile Focha
Media Relations/ PIO
