Two Sentenced in Connection With Robberies (Garcia, Arechiga)

NEWS RELEASE –

April 11, 2018

Contact: Ken Lane, 720-913-9025

TWO MEN SENTENCED FOR CRIMES INVOLVING SIX ROBBERIES

Cases Pending for Two Other Defendants

Two of four men charged last summer in connection with a string of robberies have pleaded guilty and sentenced to prison.

Alfredo Ray Garcia (dob: 10-15-1978) pleaded guilty April 9 to one count of robbery (F4) and four counts of habitual criminal (sentence enhancers) and was immediately sentenced to 24 years in prison. Garcia was originally charged last July with multiple criminal counts, including violation of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act (COCCA) (F2), second degree kidnapping (F2), first degree burglary (F3), aggravated robbery (F3), and menacing (F5).

Angelito Arechiga (dob: 03-25-1996) pleaded guilty to one count of robbery (F4) in February and sentenced in March to five years in prison.  He was originally charged last July with aggravated robbery (F3).

Co-defendant Celestino Mendoza (dob: 07-02-1989) is scheduled for arraignment on May 7.

Co-defendant Louis Arechiga (dob: 07-08-1998) is scheduled for a disposition hearing on April 23.

The defendants are variously alleged to have been involved in a string of robberies and an attempted robbery that occurred in May and June 2017:

• May 23 robbery of a Community Banks of Colorado branch in the 3400 block of W. 32^nd Avenue (the Arechigas and Garcia);
• June 6 robbery of the Premier Insurance Group in the 200 block of S. Sheridan Boulevard (Garcia and Mendoza);
• June 9 attempted robbery of a KFC store in the 1600 block of N. Federal Boulevard (Garcia and Mendoza);
• June 12 robbery of a Cricket store in the 2700 block of W. Alameda Avenue (Garcia and Mendoza);
• June 13 robbery of a Pleasures store in the 3200 block of W. Alameda Avenue (Garcia and Mendoza);
• June 14 robbery of a BBVA Compass Bank branch in the 3800 block of W. 32^nd Avenue (Garcia and Mendoza).

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