Modesto police arrest suspect in massage parlor robberies

The Modesto Police Department announced Wednesday that a Crime Stoppers tip led to the arrest of a man suspected of robbing eight massage parlors in the city and two in the county.

Manuel Gonzalez, 35, was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County jail Tuesday on multiple charges, including robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping.

A tip led to police serving a search warrant on Gonzalez’s residence on the 1200 block of Shasta Avenue in Modesto, police spokeswoman Heather Graves said.

Gonzalez was not at the residence, but after police contacted him by phone, he turned himself in at police headquarters at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Gonzalez faces charges in the string of massage parlor robberies. He also faces charges on possession of a controlled substance, cultivation of marijuana and child endangerment.

The string of crimes is believed to have begun in Modesto on Dec. 8. In one, the robber brandished a handgun. In the others, his weapon had been pepper spray.

The most recent robbery in Modesto was Jan. 19 on the 500 block of Downey Avenue.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Modesto police arrest suspect in massage parlor robberies."