BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The suspect in a shooting that killed correctional counselor Benny Alcala Jr. is in custody, according to the Kern County court system.
Officers with the Bakersfield Police Department arrested Robert Pernell Roberts around 11:45 p.m. Thursday on the 400 block of South Real Road. He was booked into the Kern County Jail around 2:34 a.m. Friday, according to booking records.
Court records show Roberts has prior convictions for robbery, burglary, vandalism and taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
He was wanted for the Aug. 24 shooting of Alcala. The victim’s family has released several statements since the shooting remembering him and thanking law enforcement and the community for support.
Alcala worked within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2006 to his death, according to a CDCR press secretary and family. The 43-year-old was declared dead at the scene.
