A retired Los Angeles Police Department detective who previously served prison time for multiple counts of robbery and rape-related charges has pleaded not guilty to a 1994 kidnapping for robbery in Thousand Oaks.
Michael Douglas Brambles, 77,was charged with felony kidnapping for robbery in Ventura County Superior Court on Aug. 11, according to court records. He was also accused of several special allegations, including that he used a weapon during a sex offense, the victim was vulnerable and the crime involved great violence.
He faces a maximum sentence of 12 years to life in prison if convicted of all counts, according to a Ventura County District Attorney’s Office news release.
The charges stem from an April 19, 1994, incident in which Brambles
is accused of entering a Thousand Oaks shop near closing hours, holding the shop owner at gunpoint, raping her in the back office and robbing her before fleeing, DA's officials previously said.
The woman, who chose to be referred to by her initials, S.W., broke free of her restraints and called 911, officials said. At the time, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office collected evidence and DNA samples linking Brambles to the crime, officials said.
S.W. decided not to move forward with charges at the time because Brambles had been convicted of 26 felony counts of sexual assault and robbery-related charges in Los Angeles Superior Court.
He was sentenced to 102 years in prison, and S.W. thought that he would spend his life in prison.
The sheriff’s and DA’s offices recently retested the 1994 sexual assault kit and found that Brambles had been out on parole since 2020 and was living in Santa Maria.
When S.W. was informed recently, she chose to go ahead with the decades-old case, and Brambles was arrested and transferred to Ventura County jail on Aug. 13.
He is scheduled to return to court for an early disposition conference on Sept. 22, the DA’s office said.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Retired LAPD officer pleads not guilty in 1994 T.O. kidnapping
