A Ceres man identified as a suspect in a Turlock armed robbery didn't prove to be too hard to locate. He was sitting in a jail cell in San Joaquin County on other robbery charges.

Alfred Joseph Sobotka, 37, was wanted by the Turlock Police Department for an armed robbery on April 8 at an AM/PM store in the 4700 block of N. Golden State Boulevard.

The robbery happened shortly before 11:30 p.m. The suspect first entered the store and picked out a pastry and paid with it using a credit card. He then proceeded to shop around the store, selecting a few more items and bringing them up to the cash register, said Turlock Police spokesman Sgt. Mike Parmley.

This time, instead of paying for the items, the suspect pulled out a gun and demanded the money from the cash register, Parmley said.

The suspect took an undisclosed amount of money and fled the business running northbound. He was described as an African-American male adult wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and red shoes.

By Wednesday the investigation had led to Sobotka as a possible suspect and the victim in the robbery was shown a photographic line-up and Sobotka was identified as the robber, Parmley said.

Sobotka was located at the San Joaquin County jail, where he had been booked for two additional robberies. He was arrested by the Turlock Police Department on Thursday and rebooked into the San Joaquin County jail.

Sobotka had previously been arrested in Ceres on March 25 for absconding parole, resisting arrest and possession of a controlled substance.

Police suspect Sobotka may have been involved in other robberies. Anyone with any additional information is asked to call Detective Frank Navarro at (209) 664-7319. You can also contact the Turlock Police Department’s Tip Line at (209) 668-5550 extension 6780 or email at tpdtipline@turlock.ca.us.