Man arrested by Stanislaus sheriff’s deputies faces San Joaquin County homicide charges
A man arrested Wednesday in Modesto on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, among other crimes, now faces murder charges in San Joaquin County.
Robert Inderbitzen, 49, is suspected of killing Tracy resident Eric Almason last Monday night, Jan. 24, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 10 p.m. that night, Almason went to his ranch on the 26000 block of South Lammers Road in Tracy after being told by neighbors that someone was trying to break into buildings there.
Almason confronted Inderbitzen, who fatally shot the rancher and then fled, the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Office reported in a Facebook post.
Wednesday, officers with the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force located Inderbitzen near the intersection of Vernon Avenue and Paradise Road in west Modesto. According to a post by the Stanislaus Sheriff’s Department, deputies with its Community Resource Unit assisted StanCATT in arresting the suspect without incident.
He was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges including burglary, grand theft, possession of a loaded firearm and assault with a deadly weapon. The online in-custody log also now reflects the murder charge, and Inderbitzen is being held without bail.
He “will be extradited to San Joaquin County upon his release,” according to the Sheriff’s Office there. Its Facebook post also says the murder weapon has been recovered.
Inderbitzen has an extensive criminal history in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, including arrests for burglary, stolen vehicles, drug and firearm possession and domestic violence, the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Office post says.
Neither sheriff’s office said in its post where Inderbitzen lives, but Stanislaus Sheriff Jeff Dirkse told The Bee by text Sunday morning that he believes the suspect is a Stanislaus resident.
