Prunedale man pleads no contest to multiple robbery and assault charges, DA’s office says
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV)- A 27-year-old Prunedale man plead no contest to multiple robbery and assault charges which included an inmate attack on three Monterey County Sheriff's Office Deputies according to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.
Justin Solorio will face a 24-year prison sentence on July 11 per the DA's Office.
The investigation started on Sept. 29, 2023 when Solorio entered a Salinas home pointed a firearm at a woman who was living at the home and demanded money but he left the home without taking any items according to investigators.
The DA's Office said that less than an hour later Solorio committed an armed robbery at a Salinas gas station and robbed the female gas station attendant.
Two weeks later, Solorio committed an armed robbery of a Salinas business where he stole over
$1,000 cash from a female business owner.
Salinas Police reviewed surveillance footage of these robberies and determined that Solorio was the primary suspect based on his unique hairstyle.
In November 2023, officers served a search warrant at Solorio's home and found cocaine that exceeded $6,000 in street value.
Investigators said that Solorio filmed himself in the same attire the masked robber wore in the
robbery and he also showed the money he took in multiple cell phone videos.
Detectives also found numerous text messages with the nickname "Perico," which is a slang term for cocaine. Perico is Solorio's nickname according to the District Attorney's Office.
Solorio was re-arrested in March while in the Monterey County Jail when he was one of five inmates that attacked three Sheriff's Office deputies. The incident stemmed from two inmates trying to give each other tattoos.
Solorio also had gang ties and was part of the Operation Dead End conducted by the Salinas Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
