LA man pleads not guilty to locking himself inside Palm Desert business
A felon accused of locking himself inside the backroom of a Palm Desert shoe store with an employee and triggering a bomb squad response pleaded not guilty to felony false imprisonment and firearm possession charges.
Andrew Campbell, 28, of Los Angeles is accused of “yelling and acting erratically” while inside the Skechers store in the 44400 block of Town Center Way about 6:45 p.m. last Wednesday, then locking himself inside the backroom while an employee was inside.
Read: All clear given after suspicious device found inside Skechers store
Deputies responded to the scene after receiving calls that Campbell was allegedly under the influence and “acting suspicious” at the business, according to sheriff’s Deputy Armando Munoz.
A retired law enforcement officer detained the suspect before deputies arrived, but after his arrest, “a suspicious device was located inside of a bag belonging to Campbell,” prompting a bomb squad response, Munoz said. The sheriff’s Hazardous Device Team determined that the item was not dangerous, according to the deputy.
Campbell was charged in two separate cases Friday, one for the alleged false imprisonment and another for possession of a firearm. He also faces sentence-enhancing allegations of committing the crime at Skechers while free on $10,000 bail in the gun possession case.
Court records indicate he was arrested by Cathedral City police on Jan. 3 on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Campbell was initially slated to appear in an Indio courtroom on Friday, but the hearing was delayed three days because he was not medically cleared. He’s slated to return to court Thursday for a felony settlement conference.
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