Crime & Safety
Reckless Driving Leads To Arrest Of Robber Who Held Up Lake Elsinore Stater Bros Shopper
Joshua Michael Nilles, 31, of Lake Elsinore and Brian Christopher Restad, 35, of Wildomar were arrested Monday.
UPDATED Dec. 18, 2012: Two men suspected of involvement in robbing a woman outside a Lake Elsinore supermarket were arrested Monday following a failed attempt by one of them to elude capture, authorities reported.
Joshua Michael Nilles, 31, of Lake Elsinore and Brian Christopher Restad, 35, of Wildomar were arrested following a holdup at a Stater Bros. store in the 29900 block of Canyon Hills Drive Dec. 13.
According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, a woman was outside the business around 10:20 a.m. when a suspect allegedly forced her to hand over her Coach purse, containing $600 cash and other valuables. The victim was not injured.
Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A description of the getaway vehicle -- a black Toyota 4Runner sport utility vehicle -- was obtained but wasn't located in the area, sheriff's Sgt. Ken Chaffin said.
Around 10:30 a.m. Monday, deputies responded to the intersection of Clement Street and Lakeshore Drive to investigate reports of a reckless driver, who turned out to be driving a vehicle matching the description of the one given by the robbery victim, Chaffin said.
Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Deputies stopped the sport utility vehicle and immediately detained Restad, who was in the driver's seat. However, Nilles, who was in the front passenger seat, allegedly bolted and tried to hide from deputies, according to Chaffin.
The area was canvassed, and Nilles was found and taken into custody without incident.
Chaffin said both Nilles and Restad were in possession of stolen property from the Dec. 13 robbery and property from "several other incidents occurring in the surrounding communities."
However, jail records from French Valley's Southwest Detention Center show Nilles, who is no longer in custody, was booked only on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance; Restad remains in custody in lieu of $30,000 bail after being booked on suspicion of robbery, possession and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Restad is due to appear in court Dec. 19; Nilles is scheduled to appear Feb. 27, the jail records show. --Toni McAllister contributed to the Dec. 18 update.
EDITOR'S NOTE: When this story originally appeared Dec. 17, jail records were not yet available.
