Banning Area Transient Charged In Series Of Robberies

BANNING, CA — A 37-year-old transient accused of holding up two businesses in Banning using a fake gun was charged Friday with second-degree robbery and other offenses.

Codi Jay Shelton was arrested earlier this week following a Banning Police Department investigation.

Along with robbery, Shelton is charged with sentence-enhancing allegations of using a weapon during the commission of a felony and being a prior-strike felon.

He's being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility and was slated to make his initial court appearance Friday afternoon at the Banning Justice Center.

According to police, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Shelton allegedly approached the counter of a Jack-in-the-Box restaurant at 6350 W. Ramsey St. and flashed what appeared to be a handgun, prompting staff to back away.

"The subject stole cash from one of the registers and fled on foot," police Capt. Brandon Smith said.

He said that patrol officers responded to restaurant employees' 911 calls and initiated a search of the area based on descriptions, which indicated the perpetrator had "tattoos on his face." However, the bandit couldn't be located.

Officers reviewed security surveillance video from inside the eatery and confirmed the alleged robber's identity -- Shelton -- Smith said.

The defendant was located less than three hours later and taken into custody without incident on West Beaumont Avenue.

Smith said a replica pistol and cash from the robbery were allegedly seized from Shelton.

During the investigation, officers also tied him to a hold-up that occurred early Sunday morning at a Walgreens on North Highland Avenue, where a man matching the defendant's description threatened a clerk with what appeared to be a handgun, grabbing money from a register and running away, according to the captain.

Shelton was positively identified as the alleged robber.

No one was injured in either hold-up.

Court records indicated that Shelton has at least two documented prior felony convictions, but they weren't listed.