Overnight Circle K Robbery

A 19-year-old Palm Desert man was arrested today while smoking a cigarette and drinking beer he allegedly stole from a Circle K.

Robert Dominic Espinoza III was arrested in the parking lot of the Circle K at Country Club Drive and Washington Street shortly after 1 a.m. The robbery was reported at 12:30 a.m. A man walked in and told the clerk he wanted
a beer from the locked beer cooler, sheriff's Sgt. Dan Devinny said.

"When the clerk asked for his I.D., Espinoza brandished a knife and demanded the beer. Espinoza took one can of beer and then demanded a pack of
cigarettes,'' Devinny alleged.

Espinoza walked out to the parking lot and began drinking beer and smoking a cigarette. Deputies arrived and arrested him without incident, Devinny said.

Espinoza was booked at the county jail in Indio and was being held in
lieu of $25,000 bail. He was expected to be arraigned Monday at the Larson
Justice Center in Indio, according to jail records.