San Jose: Mother of late SJPD officer arrested in suspected robbery

SAN JOSE — The mother of a San Jose Police Department officer who recently died has been arrested in connection with the home-invasion robbery of an elderly man over the weekend, authorities said.

Sonya Packer, 52, was arrested Monday at her home in Milpitas, according to San Jose police. They emphasized that the arrest is not related to the death of her son, 24-year-old De’Jon Packer, a rookie officer and former San Jose State football star, who died suddenly March 13 at the same home.

An official cause of death is still pending, according to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office. De’Jon Packer was warmly remembered in a memorial service last month attended by several hundred people.

Police say a man living at the Mirador Senior Apartments on Coleman Road, off Almaden Expressway, called 911 at about 4:20 p.m. Sunday to report a home-invasion-type robbery in which a woman broke into his unit “and took several electronic items, a phone, and his debit card.”

The man told investigators that the woman was Packer, who also goes by Sonya Steptoe, as the person who committed the theft. Police said the man knows Packer but did not specify how their relationship.

Police said they consulted with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office in obtaining an arrest warrant for Packer, who was later booked into the Elmwood women’s jail in Milpitas, where records show she is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail.

A request for a jail interview with Packer did not immediately get a response from the sheriff’s office Tuesday.

Check back later for updates to this story.