Nevada County man arrested in connection to armed robbery in Colfax

Editor's note: This story was updated at 3:33 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, to reflect the suspect is now in Placer County custody. A Nevada County man was arrested in connection to an armed robbery at a Colfax gas station. Placer County Sheriff's deputies responded to the robbery in the early morning on Aug. 11 and the victim reported a man left the gas station with alcohol and did not pay. The Sheriff's Office reported the suspect pulled out a large pistol and pointed it at the victim when they confronted him. The suspect then left the area in a silver sedan. As the vehicle left Placer County, deputies used Automated License Plate reader technology to identify it and issued a Be On The Lookout to nearby law enforcement agencies. The Sheriff's Office confirmed deputies learned the suspect and vehicle were known to the Grass Valley Police Department. Grass Valley officers assisted the Sheriff's Crimes Against Persons detectives in locating additional evidence and locating the suspect, identified as Joshua Earl Paulin Jr., 19, along with the vehicle in Grass Valley. The Sheriff's Office reported detectives served search warrants, and recovered a firearm and additional evidence from Paulin and the vehicle. Paulin was booked into the Nevada County jail on an outstanding Sacramento County warrant. A subsequent arrest warrant was obtained by Placer detectives in connection to the Colfax robbery. According to the online in-custody report, Paulin was booked into Placer County custody at 12:51 p.m. on Tuesday. Paulin was scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 20.