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Police arrest knife-wielding robbery suspect
Homeless man victimized twice
Cortez
Robert Cortez

A Turlock man could be facing multiple counts of robbery after allegedly robbing a homeless man at knifepoint twice.

Robert Cortez, 35, was apprehended Wednesday and is currently being held at the Stanislaus County Jail without bail for a parole violation.

The victim, a homeless man, told Turlock Police officers the first robbery occurred Monday night at the corner of Main and Center streets. He said a man that he only knew by the first name of Robert, pointed a knife at him and demanded he hand over any cash he had. The victim complied and the robber left the area.

On Tuesday night the victim was once again approached by the robber, who this time demanded the money and the victim’s wallet, said Turlock Police spokesperson Officer Mayra Lewis. The victim gave the robber his cash, but didn’t want to give up his wallet. The robber opted to take the cash and left without harming the man. He did however, allegedly tell the man he would be back for more money and would kill the man if he didn’t have it.

Officers were able to generate a lead as to the identity of the robber and obtained a previous booking photo of Cortez. Just as an officer was pulling up the photo on a computer screen Wednesday morning, he spotted the suspect walking along Geer Road and took him into custody.

The victim positively identified Cortez as the robber, Lewis said.