Arrest Made in String of Hotel Heists

Oceanside police arrested a man Saturday in connection with a series of armed hotel robberies in Oceanside and Carlsbad, police said.

Five area hotels have been robbed since June, according to Oceanside police Capt. Fred Armijo: three in Oceanside and two in Carlsbad. The Extended Stay America in Oceanside was hit twice.

In each robbery, witnesses provided a similar description of the suspect, Armijo said. In the most recent robbery, which happened Wednesday, the suspect fled in a early-model black Mustang.

An Oceanside police officer stopped a similar black Mustang just before 1 a.m. in the vicinity of College and Oceanside boulevards, Armijo said. The driver, identified by police as Franklin Gladney, 23, matched the description of the robbery suspect.

A search of the vehicle turned up evidence linking the driver to the robberies, Armijo said. Detectives searched Gladney’s Oceanside residence and found additional evidence related to the robberies.

Gladney was booked into the Vista Detention Facility on suspicion of multiple offenses, including robbery and burglary, Armijo said.

According to Oceanside police, the hotels involved were:

• , 3170 Vista Way, Oceanside.
• , 3190 Vista Way, Oceanside.
• , 2229 Palomar Airport Rd., Carlsbad.
• , 2000 Faraday Ave., Carlsbad.
• , 3603 Ocean Ranch Blvd., Oceanside.

City News Service contributed to this report.