By Bay City News Service
Three Santa Rosa men were held over for trial Tuesday on charges of attempted first-degree robbery and conspiring to rob millions of dollars in August from an armored car service that had been robbed the year before.
Monico Dominguez, 39, his nephew Juan Manuel Dominguez Jr., 27, and 33-year-old Shawn Geernaert also were charged with attempted kidnapping with the intent to rob the Garda Cash Logistics in southwest Santa Rosa on Aug. 6.
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After a preliminary hearing in Sonoma County Superior Court, Judge Kenneth Gnoss ruled Tuesday there was no evidence of attempted kidnapping.
Monico Dominguez, who also is charged with robbing nearly $1 million from Garda Cash Logistics on Aug. 11, 2011, also was held to answer to soliciting criminal acts and two counts of robbery with the personal use of a firearm.
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Geernaert also was ordered to stand trial for charges of possession of an assault weapon.
The three defendants were arrested Aug. 7 after an informant notified police about the planned heist. They are being held in the Sonoma County jail under bail between $1 million and $5 million.
The prosecution alleges Monico Dominguez and other unnamed defendants who have not been charged were wearing body armor and carrying assault weapons when they robbed Garda Cash Logistics of over $990,000 last year. The thieves left several millions of dollars behind, Deputy District Attorney Robert Waner said.
The masked robbers ducked under a door that was closing after an armored car entered the building at 1650 Northpoint Parkway around 10:45 p.m. in last year's robbery, according to Santa Rosa police.
Monico Dominguez conspired with Juan Dominguez and Geernaert to rob the armored car service again, Waner said. To make sure that millions of dollars would not be left behind, the plan was to drive away in an armored car and hide it in a "safe harbor", Geernaert's cabinet shop, Waner said.
"This is a huge, sophisticated conspiracy," Waner said when the three defendants were arraigned.
Geernaert's attorney Joe Stogner said his client, who was acquainted with Monico Dominguez, knew nothing about the planned Aug. 6 robbery.
