Final suspect pleads guilty in Palm Desert jewelry store robbery

A Colton man pleaded guilty Wednesday to his involvement in a Palm Desert jewelry store robbery more than two years ago and was immediately sentenced to three years in prison.

Demetrius Thornton, 25, entered the guilty plea to a felony robbery charge at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. A related charge of assault with a deadly weapon was dismissed, and enhancements for being an armed person and use of a weapon during a felony were stricken.

His sentence was confirmed by Riverside County District Attorney's office spokesman John Hall.

Thornton's plea followed those from co-defendants Karina Monique Ortega, 24, of Tracy (one felony count of organized retail theft with intent to sell/exchange/return merchandise); Joshua King, 28, of Compton (one felony count each of robbery, assault with a gun and being a convicted felon/narcotic addict in possession of a firearm) and Rayjon Thorton, 27, of San Pedro (one felony count each of robbery and being a convicted felon/narcotic addict in possession of a firearm).

Two use of firearm-related enhancements were also found true for King, while an armed person with a firearm enhancement was applied to Thorton.

Felony counts of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon by force to cause great bodily injury were dismissed for Ortega, and an armed person with a firearm enhancement was stricken. Thorton's assault with a deadly weapon-related charge was also dismissed.

Thorton received an eight-year, four-month sentence in January 2023. Ortega was sentenced in January 2024 to 60 days in county jail and two years of formal probation, according to Hall.

King was sentenced in February 2024, but further information was not available.

The four defendants were initially suspected of robbing a jewelry store owner, identified in court records only as "Salvador G."

Palm Desert sheriff's station deputies responded to the jewelry store in the 73200 block of Highway 111 on June 28, 2022, after a report of an armed robbery, according to Sgt. Daniel Milbrandt of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

"Three suspects entered the business, held the owner at gunpoint, and stole jewelry before fleeing the store,'' Milbrandt alleged.

During a preliminary hearing for King at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Deputy District Attorney Sanja Stark said one defendant was picked up from Long Beach the day of the robbery and, with the other defendants, went to the jewelry store in Palm Desert.

Stark said that the three male defendants entered the jewelry store, smashed the display cases and took pieces of jewelry as King pointed a firearm. She added that at some point, the jewelry store owner was struck on the head with a hammer by another defendant.

"The Palm Desert Investigations Bureau assumed the investigation and... worked to identify the four suspects involved,'' prosecutors said.

Thorton was arrested Aug. 9, 2022 in Commerce and Thornton was arrested in Adelanto, Milbrandt said. King was arrested Jan. 4, 2023, in Compton.

Ortega had a warrant issued for her arrest, but posted $30,000 bail and remained out of custody.

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