(FOX40.COM) — The man convicted of robbing an 89-year-old woman after knocking on her door and pretending to be looking for a lost ball in her backyard was sentenced to 17 years in California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations on Thursday.
In Oct. 2022, 36-year-old Joshua King of Marysville gained entry to the victim’s Lincoln home when he claimed he needed to “retrieve a ball” in her backyard, according to the Lincoln Police Department. After King entered, he pulled out a knife, threatened her, and demanded money from her. He also cut the woman’s phone line, took her cell phone and left with the woman’s cash, checks, credit cards and driver’s license.
An investigation by the Lincoln Police Department revealed that after the robbery King went to Thunder Valley Casino where he made an ATM withdrawal under the victim’s name. He was arrested at his home in Marysville.
King was convicted of first-degree residential robbery and theft from an elder adult. The conviction includes special allegations of committing a violent crime on a victim over the age of 65, using a deadly and dangerous weapon in the commission of the crime, and being previously convicted of a prior serious or violent felony.
“I love Placer County because it is an amazing place where our citizens can live peacefully, retire with dignity, and rely on an entire community fighting fervently to protect our senior citizens,” said prosecuting Senior Deputy District Attorney Shannon Quigley in a press release. “Tragically, the defendant targeted a retirement community, knocking on several doors before he exploited a vulnerable elderly woman living alone.”
Quigley added, “She was terrorized in her own home – an impact that reverberates throughout the entire retirement community, taking away the residents’ sense of security. Our seniors deserve to feel safe and protected, not targeted or exploited. Today’s sentencing is a reflection of our office’s dedication to protecting the senior citizens who choose to call Placer County home.”
