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SLO police catch man who followed tipsy woman home

May 15, 2015

Screen Shot 2015-05-15 at 3.37.19 PMSan Luis Obispo police have arrested a 29-year-old Santa Maria man, who they say walked an intoxicated woman into her home last month.

Around 2:30 a.m. on April 18, Derek Ryan Roden was waiting outside a home in the 900 block of Peach Street in San Luis Obispo when a taxi driver dropped of the intoxicated woman. Roden then walked with the victim into her house, according to police.

After Roden shut the front door, the woman screamed. The taxi driver, who waited to make sure she got home safe, then ran to the door, pounded on it briefly and came face to face with Roden.

Roden fled the area, and about an hour later, he appeared inside a home in the 100 block of Verde Drive. A resident of the Verde home spotted him, and Roden drove off in a light colored sedan.

Both witnesses said the suspect was a white male wearing a hat with a “CHP” logo who acted mute.

Based on descriptions of the burglar’s appearance, behavior and characteristics, an alert San Luis Obispo officer recognized the suspect as Roden, according a police department news release. Police have had prior contacts with Roden.

A warrant was issued for Roden’s arrest, and on Wednesday morning, a Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputy located him in the city of Orcutt. The deputy arrested him at 175 Broadway around 5:30 a.m.

San Luis Obispo detectives then drove to Orcutt and took custody of Roden. When questioned by detectives, Roden was uncooperative and appeared to be unable or unwilling to communicate with them.

Roden claimed a medical issue and was transported to a local hospital. After doctors cleared Roden, police booked him in San Luis Obispo County Jail.

Roden remains in jail with his bail set at $200,000. He is charged with two counts of burglary.

Police are asking anyone in the know to report additional information about Roden’s suspicious or illegal activities.


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Indigo 1955 and others who have expressed a caring attitude to this young man, thank you for caring. Please do not give up on the human race. There are others out there including myself who truly care about those who have mental health problems and other issues with substance abuse, etc. I work in the mental health profession and work with people like this young man everyday. Chances are he will be deemed at 1370 commitment, (incompetent to stand trial)and be sent to a State Hospital where they will attempt to restore his competency. He will then go to trial and may end up in a state hospital where he will finally get the treatment he needs. The sad sad part of this is that as people point fingers to liberals and conservatives, politicians, and taxpayers gripe about money spent by the government and on and on, real people are hurting and in crisis. Bless you indigo for caring. The best thing that any of us can do is that small thing that will make another persons life better in someway. Our mental health system is in shambles. I do not expect the government will fix this during my lifetime, but I know I can make a difference in the life of someone with a mental illness everyday at work by showing compassion and being kind. And you can too. Walk the streets of any city and you will see those who are mumbling to themselves, staring off into space. They are homeless, and dirty and people cross to the other side of the street to avoid them. These are people that you can make a difference to. I have sat down next to some of these people and offered them a sandwich. Said a kind word, asked how they are doing, and heard some of their stories. They are people like you and me but they have a mental illness. Not cancer, not diabetes, but truly something worse that makes other people fear and avoid them. They did not ask for their illness. I am a Christian and I agree that so many Christians hide behind their church walls and out of ignorance and judgement view the mentally ill as somehow lesser than themselves. They are God’s creation just as I am and loved by Him every bit as much as I am. I am so glad that this girl was safe and the taxi driver was brave. But I also this young man will get the treatment he needs and someone who comes into contact with him during this process he is facing will show him compassion, respect, kindness and treat him with dignity.


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Honestly sometimes they don’t even need help. Some people are just WEIRD and not quite all there.. as long as there are no victims, it should be OK to be weird! The community may not love dealing with these people, but that’s life, the world doesn’t isn’t all pristine and “normal”


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This article may help explain Derek Rodin’s behavior. He suffered major injuries in a car accident in 2009 as a passenger in a car http://hanfordsentinel.com/news/speed-major-factor-in-crash-that-injures/article_43432745-e49e-5739-8ece-358e7c974619.html. He obviously needs a full medical/psychological evaluation, and some help with daily living activities and socialization. I hope that Indigo can get enough personal history to start helping this young man. He is from Santa Maria and may have family there. He definitely needs help.


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Kudos to the cab driver. Most would drop a person off and drive away. He waited to see that she got into her home OK and went to her defense when he heard her scream. Who is this man? I just want to say, Thank You, it’s nice knowing that there are still people like you out there.


As for Mr. Roden, there is no indication that he has a history of ever harming anyone. Sounds like he needs a psych evaluation. He probably needs some medication. So many people are suffering from bio-chemical unbalances these day’s. Hopefully a judge will order him some help and will attempt to have a member of his family contacted if he has any.


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I’d like to see a photo of the hero Taxi driver. Wish they were all like him. Good work, sir!


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Nice work by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff. The deputy is dedicated and was alert enough at 5:30 in the morning to spot the guy and make an arrest. Nicely done.


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It was seeing the agony of this young man in his mug shot that moved me deeply—but it was mostly the viewers’ inhumane statements that caused me to have these strong emotions and motivated me to find out how I can help in this situation. Humans arrive at their finest hour when they can see how another person arrived at the low point they are at. The “big picture” is likely to include some distasteful details (such as poverty, maybe some drug or alcohol use in his family–and in himself, maybe even some abuse [sexual or worse]–and definitely a lack of parental warmth and guidance). There is likely not a history of mental illness—since no one has probably cared enough to even bother to get this young man help.


But worse, is the fact I have just about given up on being human. We used to see kids like this—realize something had gone wrong in their upbringing–and do something as a community to right that. All we have now is a bunch of sickening whiners who hide behind screen names to prop up their egos-moaning about who got elected.


I may not be able to do much—but I bet this kid got his wires crossed somewhere and I am a good listener due to my profession. Maybe I can only do that much. How many of you phonies hide behind a church or some spiritual foundation—professing to do good deeds and yet….not really. I have been so down at times in my life—and this I do know: the human race can be the coldest most horrendous pack of vicious animals when this occurs. They turn on you in a heart beat. The shame of being rejected leads many to wish they could die. I will put my hand out—even if no one else will. We live in such an uncaring society these days—-and from that we have formed a sort of sickening “social cancer”-of which callous, self-centered people are the root cause!


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Either that or he is really constipated.


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Appointment set for tomorrow. Now….if there really is karma….one (or more) of you will end up alone at some point in your life…with no one around who cares. This could be when you have some sort of an accident and cannot summon help-or the chips are down-or perhaps even at the end of your life–but I assure you when you arrive there…..clicking the ‘thumbs down’ will absolutely be a moment you remember.


Karma knows how to handle the big stuff….


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You are probably right this time. It’s hard to tell from a picture, but if people are to give the benefit of the doubt on any level, then it seems to me that since he did not actually victimize anyone he should get it. Quite honestly, he strikes me a very confused and the story as it’s been told makes it pretty clear. This is very likely the kind of guy that walks into your house and tries to be your friend, even if you have never met him and don’t want it, and doesn’t understand why what he’s doing is so wrong.


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Read the article above that “Citizen” has provided (good job Cit) you will see his condition is a result of kids screwing around and crashing a car at a high speed. If you want to help, spend your own money on his rehabilitation and house him in your own home. I tire, indigo, of bleeding hearts willing blame society for the self inflicted problems with our youth today and expect that same group to pay for their rehabilitation. This kid does need mental health help, I suggest you go bail him out of jail and let him sleep on your couch while you “Listen” to him.

I say the cab driver is a HERO for not allowing this kid to victimize society again and willing to step in, risking his own personal safety… what are you going to do big talker?


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Yeah he f*’d up.. so what exactly are we supposed to do with people like this? Tell me, please?


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Good luck with your attempt to help — honestly. But don’t condemn all those who don’t rush to join you. Some of us have tried to help downtrodden people in the past and been burned for our assistance. Maybe if you have sufficient financial and temporal resources you don’t need to worry about that but I can’t afford thousands of dollars in losses, days of effort and the stress of dealing with a psychotic person on a daily basis in an uncontrolled setting again.


Unfortunately, the answer for some of these people is long-term institutionalization and we aren’t very good at providing that. I don’t know if the high cost to the public would be offset by a safer society but I would be willing to consider trying it again. My bigger concern would be that mistakes could result in the wrong people being treated that way through carelessness, incompetence or even malevolence. (Have a rich parent that is not dying soon enough? Have him/her committed!)


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Lucky man! He has hit the rapist lottery, being brought to San Luis for his “punishment”. Now he will be processed and given a plea deal by our limp DA. But, only after following a strict writing assignment from the DA, promising to knock on the door of his next victim so he can claim he was invited in. He will then be assigned to 3 hours of public service as a counselor at a cheerleading camp. BTW the San Luis Police did not catch this pig, Santa Barbra Sheriffs did the work, SLOPD just Transported him. The real hero here is the Taxi Driver.


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My friend and I jokingly agree on something called “The Moron Factor” that affects the majority of the population in the US. This is because most people never seek an education beyond that of high school. Only just above 25% have an undergraduate, about 7% a graduate and 2-4% a PhD or other doctorate/medical degree. Shocking, in the wealthiest country on the planet-but true nonetheless. They call it “Group Think” in psychology when a large influx of this factor kicks in-and many will follow along; they simply know no better. But wait: it gets worse. The average iq in the United States is only 100.


He wasn’t arrested for rape-but rather, the charges were burglary. Can you not see what is wrong with this man? It is pretty clear just by the surrounding circumstances and his mug shot what the likely diagnosis is. The only real saving grace our society has from lynch mobs is that those in a court of law typically have Juris Doctorates and graduate degrees-as well as years of experience in various careers related to the human sciences. These educated professionals serve as a barrier to maintaining what would otherwise be mayhem in our society. It is formal education which separates those who rush to “string up the rope” and those who logically format potential outcomes. I am glad to be a part of the latter.


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It gets worse—I am going to offer my professional services at no charge. Keep it up with the thumbs down!!! The more I can pull away from what has become a worthless society that exhibits the calculated coldness of a sociopath—THE BETTER! I intensely want to NOT be a part of this crowd.


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Good luck with the therapy, Anne Sullivan – he’s pretending to be mute.


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So… If you go to school, you should be empowered to make decisions for the masses? Why, because you read some books? I’m guessing your nothing more than some Phys Tech from ASH posing as a Real Doctor, non the less…Don’t look now but your not the solution, your the problem.


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