Suspect Charged In Lake Elsinore Armed Robbery

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — One of two men accused of robbing a Lake Elsinore resident at gunpoint was charged Tuesday with armed robbery, while his alleged cohort was out of custody, awaiting arraignment.

Alfredo Dominguez, 23, of Perris was arrested last week with 18-year-old Carlos Fabian Ventura Calderon, also of Perris, following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation.

Dominguez pleaded not guilty to the felony charge during an arraignment before Superior Court Judge Elaine Kiefer, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Oct. 26 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta and ordered that the defendant be held in lieu of $105,000 bail at the nearby Byrd Detention Center.

Dominguez had been held on $30,000 bail.

Calderon posted a $30,000 bond Friday morning and was released from custody. He's due for arraignment on Jan. 12.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Robert Thomas, about 1:30 p.m. Thursday, the pair allegedly confronted the victim, identified in court documents as Jose Morales Pleitez, in the area of Central and Collier avenues, demanding his money and other personal property while holding a 9mm rifle on him.

Pleitez handed over his valuables, after which the defendants fled in a vehicle, Thomas alleged. The victim immediately called 911.

Patrol deputies tracked down the alleged getaway car hours later to a residence on Club Drive in Perris, where a search warrant was served, according to the sergeant.

He said "stolen items" and the rifle were seized from the vehicle.

Calderon and Dominguez were taken into custody without incident.

Court papers show that Dominguez has a prior misdemeanor conviction for hit-and-run resulting in property damage. Calderon has no documented priors in Riverside County.