Trio Suspected of Posing as Car Buyers, Then Holding Up Sellers

A man and two women suspected in at least two Moreno Valley robberies in which prospective car sellers were lured to a location on the pretext of making a sale -- only to be held up -- were behind bars Friday.

Darren Michael Birks, 24, Shekenya Addlice Elliott, 28, and Rosalyn Marie Pope, 23 -- all of Moreno Valley -- were arrested Wednesday following an investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Birks and Pope were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, robbery and attempted robbery. Birks is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning; Pope, a parolee, is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

Elliott was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment, possession of marijuana for sale and receiving stolen property. She's being held in lieu of $20,000 bail at the Banning jail.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Aaron Kent, the trio are suspected in holdups on March 26 and April  2 -- both in the area of Calle Sombra and Hemlock Avenue. In each case, the victims had placed ads offering vehicles for sale and were contacted by a person expressing interest, asking to meet the seller in the 12000 block of Calle Sombra, Kent said.

He said when the victims arrived, they were confronted by two armed suspects, who stole the sellers' money and other personal property at gunpoint, then fled the scene.

During their investigation, detectives were contacted by a witness who provided details that enabled the sheriff's Robbery Suppression Team to identify the alleged perpetrators, according to Kent.

Around 6 p.m. Wednesday, Birks, Elliott and Pope were stopped driving near Alessandro Boulevard and Flaming Arrow Drive. They were arrested without incident, and a replica handgun and knife were seized from the vehicle, Kent said.

Investigators search their home in the 11900 block of Dream Street, culminating in the seizure of "stolen property taken during past armed robberies ... and a large quantity of marijuana," according to the sergeant.

He said Elliott's children were placed in the care of county Child Protective Services case workers.

– City News Service.