Crime & Safety

2 Plead Not Guilty to Gunpoint Robbery of Cell Phone at Trolley Station

La Mesan faces an 11-year sentence of convicted, since he has a "strike" on his criminal record.

Two men accused of stealing a young man’s cell phone at gunpoint at the 70th Street trolley station pleaded not guilty Monday to robbery charges.

Richard James Goodman, 26, and Sterling Lamont Joseph, 27, were each held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

The pair allegedly committed the robbery at the trolley station in the 7200 block of Alvarado Road shortly before 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21. They were arrested the next day—one outside the La Mesa branch library.

Find out what's happening in La Mesa-Mount Helixwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Goodman, a La Mesan who has a prior “strike” conviction, faces 11 years in prison if convicted. Joseph would face five years behind bars if found guilty, according to prosecutors.

The defendants will be back in El Cajon Superior Court Dec. 9 for a readiness conference and Dec. 12 for a preliminary hearing.

Find out what's happening in La Mesa-Mount Helixwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

City News Service contributed to this report.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.