Local News in Brief : Countywide : Plea Entered in Case of ‘Underwear Bandit’
A man who is charged with a number of robberies in Orange County as the “Underwear Bandit” pleaded no contest in Long Beach Municipal Court to 30 felony counts.
Bruce Allen Lyons, 33, of Moreno Valley entered the plea to 23 counts of robbery, four counts of sexual battery, two counts of lewd conduct and one count of assault with intent to commit a rape, all in Los Angeles County. Lyons’ bail is set at $1 million, and he is being held pending sentencing Jan. 9.
He also faces similar felony counts in Orange County in connection with robberies in Seal Beach, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Fullerton, Orange and Santa Ana. Authorities believe Lyons committed more than 40 robberies in Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties between September and October.
Lyons was called the “Underwear Bandit” because he allegedly ordered women to remove their underwear at gunpoint and then performed sexual acts with the clothing before fleeing with the underwear and cash.
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