SANTA ANA — A 30-year-old Santa Ana man, who was dubbed by Santa Ana police as a “one-man crime wave,” pleaded guilty Monday to multiple cases involving stealing from stores and the pistol whipping of one victim and was immediately sentenced to six years in prison.
Hector Maldonado Ibarra resolved five cases against him on Monday. Two were felony cases and the others involved misdemeanors.
In the main case against him, Ibarra pleaded guilty to robbery, grand theft, burglary, all felonies, as well as misdemeanor counts for brandishing a fake gun, criminal threats, shoplifting, drug possession and child abuse and endangerment, according to court records.
Ibarra also pleaded guilty in a separate case to assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, a felony, as well as misdemeanor counts of battery, vandalism, unlawful tampering with a vehicle, and trespassing with the intent to interfere with business, according to court records.
Ibarra’s attorney, Michael Ian Garey, declined comment on the resolution. Ibarra has been behind bars since his arrest on Jan. 10, 2017.
Ibarra was arrested then for “pistol whipping” a worker with a leaf blower on Nov. 23, 2016, because the suspect was angry that the worker was getting dust on his vehicle, which police say was used in numerous shoplifting crimes and robberies in multiple cities.
At the time, police said they had 18 cases they linked him to, according to Detective Jeff Launi. The thefts of “high end” purses, wallets and other clothes from discount shops such as Marshalls and T.J. Maxx occurred in Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Tustin and Aliso Viejo, Launi said.
As part of a Santa Ana police effort to clear a backlog of cases, Launi began investigating a serial shoplifter at a Marshalls store, saying the security guard recognized the thief, Launi said.
The suspect grew so “brazen” he would use vehicles registered to him or family members and do little to conceal the license plates, Launi said. That sort of evidence coupled with surveillance video and the investigative work of security officials at the Marshalls corporate offices led to Ibarra, according to the detective.
In some of the theft cases, Ibarra would “rack” or point to a replica pistol on his waist to scare off security guards, Launi said. Corporate officials sent out a flyer to employees with a picture of Ibarra to warn them, Launi said.
Police determined where Ibarra lived, but waited until he left his home because they suspected he had weapons at the residence, Launi said. Officers wound up stopping Ibarra in his car, and he had his two children, aged 6 months and 5 years, in the vehicle. Police also recovered heroin and methamphetamine in the vehicle, Launi said.
Police searched the suspect’s residence and recovered children’s clothes, expensive purses and wallets and other stolen goods, Launi said. Store officials have calculated the loss at “at least six figures,” Launi said.
Ibarra, according to Launi, confessed that he had a heroin habit and was stealing to pay for it.
In one of the cases Ibarra resolved Monday he beat up the manager of a drug store, Launi said.
Ibarra pleaded guilty on March 7, 2014, to possession of drug paraphernalia and was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to undergo a drug program, according to court records.
Ibarra pleaded guilty to driving on a suspended license June 30, 2014, and was sentenced to 10 days in jail, according to court records.
Ibarra pleaded guilty Dec. 2, 2014, to petty theft and was sentenced to 120 days in jail, according to court records.
Ibarra again pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia on July 20, 2016, but his sentence was suspended, according to court records.
Read Full Original Content 'Crime wave' Santa Ana robber, shoplifter sent to prison for six years - OCRegister : http://ift.tt/2H5Wyhh
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "'Crime wave' Santa Ana robber, shoplifter sent to prison for six years - OCRegister"
Post a Comment