| For Immediate Release
October 30, 2012 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
|
PAROLE DENIED THREE YEARS FOR INMATE WHO ROBBED A MAN OF $500 AFTER ATTACKING AND KIDNAPPING HIM
SANTA ANA – The Board of Parole Hearings, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations denied parole for three years today for an inmate who robbed a man of $500 after attacking and kidnapping him. Anselmo Torres Robles, 33, is currently being held at the Correctional Training Facility, Soledad. Robles was sentenced Sept. 24, 2002, to life in prison with the possibility of parole after being found guilty by a jury of one felony count of kidnapping for robbery. The case was originally prosecuted by then Senior Deputy District Attorney Jerry Schaffer.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Paul Odwald appeared at the hearing today to oppose parole.
Kidnapping and Robbery of David Nguyen
Late in the evening on April 28, 2001, Robles, then 22 years old, approached victim, David Nguyen, 30, with his brother and two other unidentified men. One of the men pushed Nguyen to the ground and pistol-whipped in the forehead and forced him into the backseat of his own car. Robles drove the victim’s car while the three men covered Nguyen’s face with a knit cap. One of the men told Nguyen they needed $2,000 and threatened to kill him or hurt his family. Robles drove to several banks in Los Angeles and Orange County to withdraw the money from automated teller machines (ATM).
After the victim withdrew $500 from three different banks, Robles drove to several other banks but the ATM transactions were denied. One of the men then struck Nguyen in the face with a gun and stole a gold chain and $23 from Nguyen’s wallet before dropping him off in the Santiago Canyon area of Orange County.
Robles and the men fled in the stolen vehicle. Robles was arrested a month later after investigators received a tip regarding his involvement in the crime.
Inmates Lack of Insight to Motivating Factors and Continued Threat to Public Safety
The Board determined Robles lacked insight into the causative factors that led him to participate in the commitment offense, specifically the role that drugs played in his decision to become involved.
Robles has been slow in upgrading his academic and vocational skills during his incarceration. Robles had been in prison for 10 years before obtaining his General Equivalency Degree. Comprehensive Risk Assessment states that he has failed to maintain appropriate, non-violent behavior throughout his incarceration. Robles has shown an inability to follow society’s rules demonstrated by his numerous infractions during his incarceration, which includes a violation committed just five weeks prior to his last parole hearing in 2007.