A WESTMINSTER man faces 175 years in prison on “three strikes” after being arrested and charged with five armed robberies in Fountain Valley.

A Westminster man was arraigned Friday for the armed robbery of five grocery stores and drug stores in Fountain Valley. According to the Orange County District Attorney’s office, John Allen Wagner, 48, is charged with five counts of second degree robbery.

He also faces sentencing enhancements for two prior convictions from a residential burglary in 1987 and a federal bank robbery in 1991. The “three strikes” could add up to potential 175-year sentence. Wagner is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Aug. 1 at West Justice Center in Westminster.

The suspect is accused of:

• robbing an Albertson’s store on Feb. 8, 2015
• robbing a Rite-Aid store on Feb. 17, 2015
• robbing a Walgreen’s store on April 23, 2015
• robbing a different Albertson’s on May 25, 2015
• robbing a different Walgreen’s on July 29, 2015

Last Wednesday, Wagner was shopping at a Ralph’s grocery store in Fountain Valley when a customer recognized him as being a suspect in a local robbery. Police were called and Wagner was arrested after a traffic stop. Fountain Valley officers say that he was found with a BB gun resembling a firearm and with clothing that matched those seen on surveillance video of the robberies.