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Sheriff: Riverside County's 'Most Prolific' Robber Now Behind Bars

INDIO (CBS)  — A 31-year-old La Quinta man was behind bars Friday and he has the dubious distinction of being named "the most prolific" robber in the county's history, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department says.

Sergio Lopez has been connected to more than 70 robberies since October from Temecula to Coachella, across nearly 20 cities or unincorporated county areas, said sheriff's Sgt. Don Williamson.

"These armed robberies occurred within the unincorporated areas and cities of Riverside County at an unprecedented level," he said. "By all accounts of personnel involved, these crimes represent the most prolific robbery series in the history of Riverside County."

Lopez was arrested May 11 after he was identified as the suspect in an April robbery of an Anna's Linens store in Indio.

Robbery is not the only thing on his rap sheet. Lopez was convicted of murder in June 1993 in Los Angeles County when he was a teenager and is a reputed gang member, according to court documents.

In an interview with sheriff's Investigator Matt Diaz following his arrest, Lopez admitted to nine of the 79 robberies under investigation and acknowledged he was unemployed and "used these robberies to fund his lifestyle," Diaz said.

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

Lopez has been charged with the April 29 robbery in Indio. Sheriff's investigators and prosecutors are still combing through evidence relating to the other robberies.

"This is a very complex investigation involving numerous law enforcement agencies across the county," said John Hall, a spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. "We are reviewing other possible cases."

Lopez was arrested at the Arabian Gardens Mobile Home Park in Indio hiding in a storage shed, according to the sheriff's department.

A break in the search came when Indio police pursued his vehicle following the Anna's Linens robbery. Lopez bolted from the car but left behind an identification card and money taken in the robbery, Diaz said.

Lopez, who is being held at the Riverside County Jail in lieu of a $1 million, appeared at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta today for a felony settlement conference in the Indio robbery case, in which he is charged with one felony count of robbery and one felony count of kidnapping during the commission of a robbery.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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