Ex-College Athlete, Associate to be Arraigned for Alleged Jurupa Holdup
Ex-College Athlete, Associate to be Arraigned for Alleged Jurupa Holdup
by Contributing Editor
A former college football player and another man, who are accused of trying to rob a Jurupa Valley marijuana dispensary and shooting one of the employees in the process, are slated to be arraigned Thursday at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Craig Anthony Lee and John Carlton Ross, both 23, are charged with attempted murder and attempted robbery for the botched 2016 holdup at the Kings Palace Cannabis Dispensary in the 6100 block of Mission Boulevard.
Lee, who was a reserve running back for the UCLA Bruins from 2013 to 2015, was arrested last week and is being held at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside. Ross was arrested on July 9 and is being held at the Indio Jail. Bail for both defendants is set at $1 million.
They’re slated to appear before Riverside County Superior Court Judge David Gunn Thursday morning at the downtown Riverside courthouse.
Sheriff’s investigators allege Lee, Ross and another as-yet unidentified man went into the Jurupa Valley marijuana shop on the afternoon of June 30, 2016, and attempted to forcibly take an undisclosed quantity of product.
During the robbery, one of the operators of the unlicensed dispensary was shot, though it’s unclear who fired the gun. Investigators said a security guard returned fire, and the suspects fled the business, eluding deputies who converged on the location moments later.
The gunshot victim was hospitalized and eventually recovered.
During the ensuing three-year investigation, detectives ultimately obtained sufficient evidence to identify two of the three alleged perpetrators. A warrant was issued for Lee’s arrest on June 27, and he was located three weeks later on Avalon Boulevard in Los Angeles, where he was taken into custody without a struggle. Ross was taken into custody in Corona.
Neither man has documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
Lee’s family has publicly asserted his innocence.
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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com
