Chris's Crime Forum

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- Two men arrested last week in the case of missing person Elias Sorokin are scheduled to be arraigned on robbery and murder charges Wednesday morning, but Sorokin still has not been found, authorities said.

Stewart Skuba, 29, of Santa Cruz and Adam Hunt, 29, of Watsonville will be arraigned at the Santa Cruz courthouse on charges of murder, robbery and kidnapping to commit robbery, according to Assistant District Attorney Robert Wade.

A third man arrested in the case, 29-year-old Kenneth Clamp of Santa Cruz, is on a parole hold while authorities determine what charges will be filed against him, Wade said.

Wade said the charges are based upon information collected during the investigation of Sorokin's disappearance, but declined to comment on the specifics of the case.

"I prefer at this point to keep it as general as possible," he said.

Santa Cruz police arrested Skuba and Clamp on July 30 for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping and robbery of Sorokin, and Hunt surrendered to Santa Cruz police on Saturday, police said.

Police believe Sorokin, who was last seen in Santa Cruz on July 20, was kidnapped and robbed during a marijuana deal at a home in the 200 block of Felix Street in Santa Cruz, according to Santa Cruz police Capt. Steve Clark.

Sorokin missed business meetings in Los Angeles on July 21, and friends and family have been unable to reach him. Someone tried unsuccessfully to access his checking account at businesses in Santa Cruz and Watsonville during the past week.

His charred truck was also found late Tuesday, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities responded to reports of a burning vehicle along Smith Grade Road near Empire Grade in Bonny Doon around midnight on July 28. Upon arrival, it was discovered that the 2007 Toyota Tacoma belonged to Sorokin, according to sheriff's Sgt. Greg Lansdowne.

The charred truck was seized and is being examined by the crime scene investigation unit, according to Lansdowne.

The sheriff's office, along with the Santa Cruz and Watsonville police departments, are assisting the Los Angeles Police Department, which is leading the investigation.

Police are treating the case as a homicide investigation, Clark said.

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SANTA CRUZ — More than two months after a Los Angeles businessman was kidnapped, robbed and presumed killed during a drug deal gone bad, police still have not located his body.

But the case against two men accused of murdering Elias Sorokin is moving forward, according to the District Attorney's Office.

The preliminary hearing for Adam Hunt and Stewart Skuba is slated for Oct. 26, although it may be postponed if prosecutor Rob Wade has not received DNA test results from evidence collected at the condominium on Felix Street in Santa Cruz where investigators believe Sorokin was killed on July 21, the attorney said Wednesday.

Hunt, 29, of Watsonville, and Skuba, a 31-year-old Santa Cruz resident, were arrested in late July. Both have pleaded innocent to charges of robbery, kidnapping and murder.

Sorokin stopped in Santa Cruz late on July 20 for a drug deal as he drove from Oakland back to L.A., but the sale went sideways and Sorokin was kidnapped, robbed and killed, according to authorities. Police said he was involved in marijuana trafficking, but haven't disclosed what role he had in the botched transaction. They also haven't said how much pot was involved or if it was recovered.

The search for the 29-year-old began as a missing person case after people started using his credit cards and checks at county businesses in the week after his disappearance.

The investigation became more serious when Sorokin's burned-out truck was found in Bonny Doon on July 28.

Three days later, the FBI searched the Felix Street condo. Hunt, Skuba and a third man, Kenneth Clamp, were arrested. Clamp is being held on a parole violation and has not been charged in connection with Sorokin's death. Wade said the D.A.'s Office is still reviewing the case against him.

"He's clearly an accessory after the fact but we're continuing our investigation to see if there's any additional evidence to tie Mr. Clamp to it," Wade said Wednesday. "We haven't yet made the final decision on what (charges) we will file." Sorokin's body has not been found, despite an extensive search by law enforcement.

"The search area is so broad, it's difficult to even pin down a large area," Santa Cruz police Lt. Rudy Escalante said. "But every week we are revisiting areas, we are revisiting leads and information that we've developed."

So far, the search has covered areas in the Santa Cruz Mountains — including near Bonny Doon where Sorokin's truck was found — and the Pacific Coast from Santa Cruz to Pescadero.

Police also notified Cal Fire officials during the Lockheed Fire, which burned the hills outside of Davenport in August, in case fire crews discovered evidence or Sorokin's remains. Escalante said fire crews didn't turn up any leads.

Wade said the men suspected in Sorokin's disappearance have not given investigators any tips on where to look.

"Law enforcement has some done very active looking but that hasn't helped us find his body," Wade said.