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“Eat Fresh Robber” pleads not guilty in Monterey County

Published June 2, 2015 6:37 PM

UPDATE 6/2/2015: The so-called “Eat Fresh Robber,” accused of crimes across the Central Coast, made his first appearance in Monterey County Tuesday. Bobby Ray Knight, 60, entered pleaded not guilty to the charges against him:

Prosecutors charged Knight with five counts of felony 2nd degree robbery and enhancements were removed because he used an fake gun.

The following are a list of places Knight is accused of robbing:

1. See’s Candies in Salinas

2. Room for Dessert in Monterey

3. Subway on North Main St., Salinas

4. Subway on 41st Ave., Soquel

5. Baskin Robbins on South Main St., Salinas

6. Cara’s Cupcakes in Monterey

7. Subway on Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz

8. Subway on Tenth St., Gilroy

9. Mattress Nation on Playa Ave., Sand City

“The charges that were initially on the complaint were firearms there was just a replica used, an airsoft gun. So those enhancements don’t apply and they were dropped,” prosecutor Lindsey O’Shea said.

Police said Knight was on a robbery spree for two months in three counties. Becuase he was arrested in Salinas and the district attorney filed their cases before the other counties involved, Knight will go through the court process in Monterey County before heading to Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. His bail is set at $300,000.

Knight is also charged with a strike from a 1995 conviction of first degree robbery. Prosecutors said a charge may be added for another robbery at a Baskin Robbins.

He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing June 25th.

UPDATE 6/1/15 10:30 p.m.: The so-called “Eat Fresh Robber” is behind bars. Bobby Ray Knight, 60, is accused of robbing at least nine stores, many of them fast food chains. After a string of robberies at Subway and dessert shops, police said it was his final heist at Mattress Nation in Sand City that tipped them off.

Mike Tran, the co-owner of Mattress Nation, vividly remembers what happened several weeks ago, when he says he was held at gunpoint by Knight.

“A guy came in when I was with customers,” Tran recalls. “He made small talk. He was laying around on the beds, then after the customers left, I said “Hi” to him to try to help him out, then he waited for me to get back to the counter then he pulled out a gun and said, “Give me everything in your register.” He told me to go hide in the bathroom but I ran out of the side door.”

After going on a robbery spree for two months in three counties, police said key evidence was found at the Mattress Nation.

“And then I was walking around and I saw a cell phone that was laying on one of the mattresses,” Tran said. “And it wasn’t any of the mattresses I helped a customer with previously, so, I assumed it was his. And it was.”

“There was a video, and a face but there was no way to really put the name with the face until Sand City was able to get that one little tidbit of information,” Commander Vince Maiorana with Salinas Police said.

From there, law enforcement agencies across the Central Coast were able to identify the suspect. It was a Salinas police officer who recognized Knight walking on East Alisal Street and made the arrest on May 18. As the investigation reveals, the gun Knight allegedly used was a replica, and detectives say he never made off with a lot of money at any of the robberies.

Despite his capture, the holdup at the Subway on North Main in Salinas changed the way things are done.

“We just try to keep as less money as we can and we had a training on what to do if we are in that situation,” Leticia Garcia said. “We don’t let anybody in the back and if we see anything suspicious, we have our first alarm.”

There are also security patrols that keep an eye on the shop. While lightning doesn’t always strike the same spot twice, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

ORIGINAL POST: A Salinas Police officer recognized a suspect wanted across the central coast who gained notoriety after being named the “Eat Fresh Robber” by Santa Cruz County Sheriff deputies.

The officer saw 60-year-old Bobby Ray Knight walking on East Alisal on May 18, 2015. Knight was wanted for at least nine armed robberies over the last several months all with the same MO, showing a gun to the cashier and carrying a red duffel bag. In each case, Knight only got away with what officers describe as “very little money.”

Salinas Police have learned the gun Knight used was a replica in all the robberies.

Salinas Police, Santa Cruz Police, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s, Gilroy Police, and Monterey Police were working together to establish leads on who the suspect was but they got a big break when Knight left his cell phone at the Mattress Nation in Sand City. Officers were able to identify him by the cell phone and matched it with the surveillance from that robbery.