Man Convicted in Series of Robberies

A Lancaster man was convicted by a San Fernando Superior Court jury Wednesday on 18 counts of robbery for a string of holdups at small stores in the Antelope Valley.

Jimmie Thomas, 37, faces a maximum sentence of 28 years in state prison for the robberies, which occurred between Dec. 30, 1988, and Feb. 4, 1989, and for the special allegation that in eight of the incidents he used a firearm.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Daniel Damon said Thomas chose small stores with few employees and usually posed as a customer to scout the target.

Then, Damon said, he approached the cashiers and demanded that they give him money, threatening to “blow their brains out.”

In eight of the robberies, he threatened the employees with a small handgun.

During the others, he simply told the employees that he was armed, Damon said.

He usually escaped with several hundred dollars, though he netted only $15 in one robbery and got as much as $5,000 in another.

Thomas was arrested on Feb. 7 in a Lancaster supermarket.

One of his victims was also shopping there, and called the police after recognizing him, Damon said.

After Thomas’ arrest, the other victims identified him from photos and a lineup, Damon said.