Patterson man goes to jail for Modesto robbery. Dog he left behind has happier ending
A 27-year-old Patterson man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for robbing a Modesto convenience store at gunpoint nearly three months ago.
Christopher Coello on Dec. 8 pleaded no contest to armed robbery, the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday afternoon. Deputy District Attorney John R. Mayne prosecuted the case.
The armed robbery occurred Sept. 20 at the Quik Stop store on Lakewood and Briggsmore avenues in east Modesto. Prosecutors said Coello entered the business, pointed a gun at a store clerk and left with a small amount of stolen cash.
Modesto police officers arrested Coello two days after the robbery. Prosecutors said video footage from a security camera at the store clearly showed Coello committing the crime.
Given the quality of the video, Coello pleaded no contest to the robbery and admitted he used a gun to commit the crime, according to prosecutors.
Initially, prosecutors charged Coello with vehicle theft and possession of a stolen vehicle, but those charges were dropped. Superior Court Judge Thomas Zeff sentenced Coello shortly after the defendant pleaded no contest to the robbery charge.
On Thursday afternoon, Coello was being housed at Kern State Prison in Delano.
Authorities said Coello left behind a dog after robbing the Quik Stop store. Police officials have said Coello was spotted loitering outside the Quik Stop store with a Queensland heeler cattle dog before the robbery. Investigators later found the dog abandoned.
Several days after the September robbery, Stanislaus Animal Services Agency gave the dog its vaccinations, neutered and microchipped the dog before making the dog available for adoption.
The dog, later named "Partner" by the folks at the Animal Services Agency, was adopted Oct. 6.
This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Patterson man goes to jail for Modesto robbery. Dog he left behind has happier ending."