Robbery suspect pleads not guilty

A 19-year-old Napa man has pleaded not guilty in connection with Friday afternoon’s robbery at a Sonoma recycling center.
Ramon Llamas was arraigned Tuesday before Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Antolini on felony charges of burglary and vehicular evasion of a peace officer, as well as robbery, conspiracy and carrying a loaded firearm in public, a court spokesperson said yesterday.
Llamas and a 16-year-old accomplice, also from Napa, allegedly held up the Nex Cycle recycling center behind Safeway on West Napa Street. Although the center doesn’t have a cashbox – customers are issued a receipt which they redeem inside the store – the two proprietors and a customer were relieved of about $100 cash. The pair were captured less than an hour later on Highway 12 near Dunbar Road following a brief high-speed chase.
Asked about the 16-year-old suspect, a Juvenile Court spokesperson said yesterday that records of detainees were only releasable to immediate family members.
The felony charges could carry a collectively penalty of up to six years in prison. Llamas, who was appointed a public defender, is expected back in court today for a bail hearing.