1 in custody, 1 sought in robbery, carjack of Fresno field workers

One man is in custody and a second is being sought in connection with a carjacking of field workers earlier in December, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office reported.

In custody is Mirko Butkovic, 39, of Fresno. Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said the robbery took place Dec. 18 as two men were working near Chestnut and American avenues south of Fresno when bandits approached, one armed with a rifle and the second with a handgun. They demanded the workers’ wallets, cell phones and car keys. One victim’s 2001 Mitsubishi Montero was taken and the second suspect drove away in a Chevrolet Suburban.

Fresno police found the Mitsubishi near Fillmore and Hayston avenues in southeast Fresno on Dec. 20 and developed unspecified information linking Butkovic to the robbery, Botti said. The next day, deputies stopped a blue Suburban near Highway 180 and Van Ness Avenue and arrested Butkovic, who was reported to be carrying more than a pound of marijuana, a loaded handgun and a small amount of methamphetamine. After serving a warrant in the 600 block of East California Avenue, detectives reported finding evidence linking Butkovic to the Dec. 18 robbery.

Anyone with information about the second suspect or the crime itself is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867 (STOP).

This story was originally published December 29, 2017 at 1:35 PM with the headline "1 in custody, 1 sought in robbery, carjack of Fresno field workers."