NORTHRIDGE : Man Charged in Syringe Holdups
A Northridge man accused of threatening to infect robbery victims with the AIDS virus is scheduled to be arraigned today in San Fernando Municipal Court.
Wesley G. Pledger, 35, was charged Thursday with 10 counts of robbery, attempted robbery and assault with a deadly weapon--a hypodermic needle--during eight holdups last week in the San Fernando Valley, said Steve Teichner, a district attorney’s spokesman.
Police said in almost every incident, Pledger, a paroled robber with a history of heroin use, told his victims that he had AIDS and brandished a syringe that he claimed contained his own blood.
It remains unknown whether Pledger indeed has AIDS and authorities said they have no immediate plans to test him for the deadly virus. Teichner said that because Pledger did not actually stick anyone with his needle, the question of whether he has the disease is “really irrelevant.”
The needle, considered a deadly weapon even without AIDS-tainted blood, has not been found.
Pledger was being held in Los Angeles County Central Men’s Jail.
If convicted of the syringe-related charges, he could face a maximum sentence of 11 years in state prison.
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