Man fails in two Yuba City robbery attempts

A convicted child molester tried — and failed — to rob a woman in a fast-food bathroom on Monday, police said, and then tried — and failed — to steal perfume from the Yuba City Walmart on Tuesday and was arrested.

John Bruce Fleming, 41, was booked into the Sutter County Jail without bail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, attempted robbery, burglary and making criminal threats.

Fleming pulled a 41-year-old female acquaintance into the men's room of the Jack-in-the-Box restaurant on Colusa Avenue around 2:30 p.m., brandished a knife and demanded money, police spokeswoman Shawna Pavey said.

"She told him she didn't have any money, but said she could get him some," Pavey said.

Fleming agreed and let the woman go without harming her. However, the victim immediately reported the incident and officers began searching for Fleming, Pavey said.

Fleming was picked up around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday when Walmart security guards stopped him with $317 in perfume, cologne and DVDs in a backpack, police said.

Fleming pleaded no contest in 2003 to a felony strike count of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14. He was charged with forcible oral copulation with a 7-year-old girl in Live Oak, but accepted a plea deal for a three-year prison sentence, according to Sutter County Superior Court records.

Since his conviction, Fleming has been picked up numerous times for failing to register as a sex offender. His criminal history also includes resisting arrest, falsely reporting a crime and minor drug-related charges.

Fleming was most recently picked up Jan. 9 at the Walmart in Linda after stealing various items on separate trips during the same day, according to Yuba County Superior Court records.

"He admitted going back to Walmart the second time because it was easy to steal the first time," according to a statement of probable cause.