A former Los Angeles vice detective, Michael Douglas Brambles, who was paroled in 2020 after serving a fraction of a 102-year sentence, has been arrested again on charges of kidnapping to commit robbery and using a firearm, authorities said. The charges stem from an alleged robbery and sexual assault that occurred in 1991.
Brambles, 77, is accused of entering Arabella’s Boutique in Thousand Oaks, California, as the owner, identified as SW, was closing. According to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Brambles allegedly pointed a handgun at SW, forced her into a backroom, tied her hands, and sexually assaulted her before stealing from the business. The statute of limitations has passed for the sexual assault allegations, but the kidnapping and robbery charges remain.
He faces several aggravating circumstances, including that the crime involved great violence, the victim was particularly vulnerable, the manner in which it was carried out indicated planning and professionalism, and that Brambles engaged in violent conduct indicating a serious danger to society.
Brambles was identified as a suspect in SW’s case shortly after the incident, but he was already being prosecuted for a series of robberies and sexual assaults. He was convicted on 26 counts, including 18 armed robberies and multiple sexual assaults, and subsequently sentenced to 102 years. SW had agreed to the dismissal of her case at the time, believing Brambles would remain incarcerated.
However, Brambles became eligible for parole in 2020 under a California law that allows elderly inmates to apply for release. During his parole hearing, he denied any sexual assaults beyond those for which he had already been convicted.
Investigators with the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office became aware of Brambles’ release while examining SW’s cold case as part of the federal Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. Brambles was arrested on Wednesday and is being held in Ventura County on $2 million bail.
"A few months ago, when investigators from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office contacted me, I was shocked to hear not only that this man was walking free, but that he had been out of prison for six years," SW said at a press conference. "The justice that I and his other victims deserved was denied when he was only required to serve a fraction of the sentence he earned. I am thankful to have this opportunity now to seek justice for myself and for his other victims."
District Attorney Erik Nasarenko stated, "Despite the passage of time and the long road ahead, SW is committed to seeing Michael Brambles held responsible for these violent accusations from 32 years ago, and so are we."
If convicted of the current charges, Brambles faces a maximum sentence of 12 years to life.
