Orange County Church Burglars Plead Guilty
By Randy Collins
Aug. 1, 2013 9:03a
Two men pleaded guilty and were sentenced this week following a string of church burglaries occurring throughout Orange County, California. The burglaries occurred in several different cities and did not target any particular religion. From the beginning of 2012, six churches in Anaheim, four in Santa Ana, as well as a Hindu temple and Islamic center in Irvine were burglarized resulting in several thousands of dollars in stolen funds.
Fernando Flores pleaded guilty to burglary as well as possessing drugs and drug paraphenelia. Robert Lee Dennis pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm, leaded cane, burglary tools and four counts of first-degree burglary. One other man, Daniel Ruben Cortes, pleaded guilty last month and yet another, James Allen Dorscht, is suspected, but has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Maximum Burglary Penalties in California
Evidence used to locate the men included surveillance video, a phone-in tip, DNA evidence, a partial fingerprint, and a credit card belonging to one of the accused. Surveillance video showed two men breaking into a church in Santa Ana, California. One of the men noticed the camera and attempted to disable it. He was unsuccessful and his image was distributed to the public by local law enforcement. The phone-in tip came shortly after as a result. DNA evidence as well as a partial fingerprint were collected by the Irvine police department at two separate burglarized locations.
According to the OC Register, none of these offenders received more than a year in the county jail for their crimes, implying charges for second-degree burglary. In California, burglary can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony offense depending upon a number of different factors.
A felony burglary conviction can result in up to six years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. Misdemeanor burglary convictions can result in up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. If a person inflicts bodily harm on another during the course of their burglary, there may be additional penalties. Some burglary offenses will count as a "strike" on an offender's record which can accumulate to become a life-time prison term.
Orange County Burglary Defense
Those facing burglary charges in Orange County are encouraged to contact a MacGregor & Collins, LLP legal professional for a free case evaluation. Our attorneys provide free professional consultations with no obligation to retain their services. Call 949-250-6097 to speak with a skilled attorney about your options.
Source:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/burglary-519123-pleaded-guilty.html
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