Two transients who committed a string of holdups in Jurupa Valley and neighboring locations were both sentenced Monday to state prison.
Sunday Lynn Nadal, 51, and Francisco Alejandro Siles, 21, pleaded guilty earlier this month to perpetrating the holdups.
Nadal’s plea was directly to Riverside County Superior Court Judge Eric Keen, without input from the District Attorney’s Office, and involved admitting four robbery charges. Siles’ attorney negotiated a plea with prosecutors, under which the defendant admitted a dozen robbery counts.
Siles was sentenced to six years in prison, while Nadal was sentenced to three years behind bars.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Ernie Esquibel, the robbery series began last April 13 in Jurupa Valley, involving restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores.
Esquibel said that while Nadal waited in a getaway vehicle, Siles would go into the businesses, usually carrying a camouflage backpack.
“The suspect would place a shotgun shell on the counter, in front of the victims, threaten the victims and demand money,” Esquibel said. “Other times, the suspect would brandish what appeared to be a semiautomatic pistol.”
In addition to Jurupa Valley, the defendants targeted outlets in Fontana and Riverside.
Esquibel said detectives eventually identified Nadal as the driver of the silver G35 Infiniti used during the holdups, leading to her and Siles’ uneventful arrest in Jurupa Valley 10 days after the robberies started.
According to court records, Nadal had a prior conviction for grand theft, while Siles had no documented prior felony convictions.