Murrieta Man Denies Armed Robberies Across SW Riverside County

MURRIETA, CA — A 47-year-old man who allegedly committed nearly a dozen armed robberies in Southwest Riverside County pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony charges.

Christopher Eric May of Murrieta was arrested in January following a months-long joint investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and Murrieta Police Department.

May is charged with 10 counts of armed robbery, as well as one count each of felony evading and making criminal threats. He was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Judith Clark, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for July 29 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

The defendant was free on a $375,000 bond.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Julio Olguin, the alleged holdups occurred between December 2019 and March 2020 in Lake Elsinore, Murrieta and Wildomar.

May allegedly targeted convenience stores.

"In each robbery ... an adult male brandished a handgun," Olguin said.

Clerks handed over whatever cash was on hand, but the total amount taken during the robbery series was not disclosed by investigators. No one was injured.

Olguin said that ultimately sufficient evidence was gathered to obtain a search warrant, which was served at May's residence in the area of Clinton Keith and McElwain roads on Jan. 4.

"It resulted in the recovery of evidence related to the robberies," the sergeant said.

May was taken into custody without incident.

He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.