Alleged Back Room Bandit Pleads Not Guilty

An ex-convict accused in 80 robberies in Riverside County -- including a Cold Stone Creamery in Palm Desert -- pleaded not guilty today to 250 additional counts.

Sergio Nicolas Lopez, 31, of La Quinta could face 184 years in state prison if convicted of multiple counts of robbery, kidnapping to commit robbery, carjacking and other charges.

Lopez, who is being held in lieu of $1 million at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, appeared in court today in Murrieta.

Deputy District Attorney Timothy Cross filed the additional 250 counts stemming from 78 cases. Lopez had already been charged with robbing Anna's Linens in Indio.

Following Lopez's arrest in May, sheriff's Capt. Dan Wilham called the spree unprecedented.

“It’s unprecedented,’’ Wilham said. “I can’t remember in my 26 years where we have had this many actual robberies occur by the same suspect before he was apprehended.”

The reputed gang member was convicted as a juvenile of murder in June 1993 in Los Angeles County, according to court documents. He served his time to adulthood.

In the Palm Desert robbery, he at the ice cream shop at 36957 Cook Street on Feb. 9, according to sheriff's officials.

The suspect allegedly took the employee’s personal property and an undisclosed amount of cash. About 15 minutes after the robbery, some customers arrived and found the employees in the freezer, Wilham said.

In an interview with sheriff's Investigator Matt Diaz following his arrest, Lopez allegedly confessed to nine robberies and acknowledged he was unemployed and "used these robberies to fund his lifestyle,'' Diaz said.

The defendant targeted fashion-based businesses, such as salons or clothing stores, as well as restaurants, clearing out registers and targeting both employees and patrons, according to Williamson.

The hold-ups occurred between October 2010 and last April.

There was a break in the case when Indio police pursued Lopez's vehicle following the Anna's Linens robbery. The alleged bandit bolted from the car but left behind an identification card and money taken during the robbery, Diaz said.

Lopez was located hiding in a storage shed and taken into custody without incident less than two weeks later.

City News Service contributed to this report.