Two Romanian nationals accused of stealing valuables from an Eastvale senior while diverting his attention in a store parking lot were charged Thursday with robbery and elder abuse.
Petre Alexandru, 27, and Gratiela Stoian, 22, were arrested Monday following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation.
Each defendant is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
They were slated to make a joint initial court appearance Thursday afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Art Mendez, on Monday morning, Alexandru and Stoian accosted the victim, identified in court documents only as “R.F.,” as he was walking to his vehicle.
The defendants “lured the elderly victim toward them to have a conversation,” Mendez said.
“During the interaction, the suspects distracted the man and robbed him of jewelry he was wearing,” the sergeant said.
He alleged that after stealing the valuables, the pair fled in a vehicle.
The victim contacted the sheriff’s department, and detectives initiated an investigation that confirmed the defendants’ identities. The investigators additionally learned that Alexandru and Stoian were “responsible for a similar incident in Vancouver, Canada,” Mendez said.
They were tracked to Palm Springs, where they were taken into custody without incident Monday night.
“A search of their vehicle resulted in the finding of multiple necklaces, rings, watches and bracelets, possibly belonging to other unidentified victims,” the sheriff’s spokesman said.
The defendants have no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
Detectives believe the two have perpetrated the same type of offenses in other locations. Anyone with information was asked to contact the sheriff’s Jurupa Valley station at 951-955-6006.