A 20-year-old probationer accused, along with a young woman, of robbing a couple at a Riverside motel pleaded not guilty Tuesday to armed robbery and other charges.
Eric David Anderson of Hemet was arrested Tuesday following a month-long investigation by the Riverside Police Department.
Along with robbery, Anderson is charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and probation violations.
He was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gail O’Rane, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for June 10 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
The defendant is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
Anderson’s co-defendant, 19-year-old Jasmine Roxie Boyd of Rialto, was arrested in early May and pleaded not guilty to armed robbery. She is free on a $60,000 bond and is slated to appear for a status hearing at the Riverside courthouse on Thursday.
According to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback, the defendants, and possibly another still-unidentified person, allegedly forced their way into a motel room in the 10600 block of Magnolia Avenue, near Nye Avenue, about 1 a.m. on April 27 and held the victims at gunpoint while they ransacked the room.
The robbery was over in minutes, and no one was injured, Railsback said.
He did not disclose what was stolen, and the victims’ names were withheld.
Detectives identified Boyd as one of the alleged bandits within a week and arrested her without incident on West Street in Rialto on May 4. She posted bail after her arraignment.
Railsback alleged that property taken during the holdup and other evidence was seized from her apartment.
Further investigation eventually led to Anderson, who was taken into custody without a struggle on Vineyard Street in Ontario about 6:30 p.m. last Tuesday.
Anderson has several prior convictions for felony burglary, according to court records. Boyd has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
Anyone with information about the robbery was asked to call detectives at 951-353-7105.