Suspect Identified and Arrested for Multiple Robberies in Lake Elsinore
LAKE ELSINORE – Police detained and arrested a perpetrator believed to be responsible for a series of robberies which occurred earlier this month.
Three robberies occurred mid-October and investigators have been actively seeking a suspect. The first robbery took place on October 16 at 12:55 P.M., when an armed robber held up a service station in the 300 block of N. Main Street in the City of Lake Elsinore.
The second robbery followed that same night at 8:35 P.M. at the same service station. The attendant on shift was robbed at gunpoint by a suspect whose description matched that of the first perpetrator. Investigators were able to procure video from surveillance cameras at the location and ascertained that it was the same suspect.
A third robbery occurred October 17 at 11:47 P.M., this time at a pizza establishment in the 18200 block of Collier Avenue. Again the business was robbed at gunpoint and the suspect matched the same description as the armed robber responsible for the other two crimes.
A witness stated that the suspect fled the scene on a motorcycle in one of the robberies. Investigators included this information in their search, which eventually led to the sighting of a possible suspect. An officer from the Lake Elsinore Police Department identified this subject on October 24 12:21 A.M. in the area of Collier Avenue and Central Avenue and made a traffic stop.
Believing the suspect was indeed the man from the robberies, authorities detained him. Investigators were then able to retrieve evidence linking him to the robberies. Upon procuring a search warrant, investigators located several items related to the crime and arrested William Despain, 45, of Lake Elsinore. Despain was charged with three counts of armed robbery and transported to the Southwest Detention Center.
Read More:
CBSLA: Lake Elsinore man accused in multiple robberies
Press Enterprise: Man suspected of multiple robberies
