Clovis home invaders who stole hundreds of marijuana vape pens strike plea deal
Five of the six alleged robbers who stole 1,400 marijuana vape pens during a home invasion robbery in Clovis last December have agreed to a plea deal with the Fresno County District Attorney.
As part of the deal, they pleaded no contest to a felony charge of residential robbery in exchange for dropping the more serious charge of kidnapping to commit robbery and a gun enhancement. Appearing in court Friday to accept the agreement were Jaan Pinedo, Angel Ramirez, John Searless, Jonathan Simmavong and Christopher Sanchez.
The sixth member of the group, Brianna Houston, is out on bail and is still hoping to resolve her case, said her lawyer Roger Nuttall.
Clovis police said the Dec. 11 robbery was not your typical home invasion. The alleged robbers didn’t crash through any doors or windows to get into the apartment near Clovis and Santa Ana avenues. They had a key to the front door. Houston was a former resident of the apartment and still had a key.
Once inside, the alleged robbers — who were armed with semi-automatic handguns, some with red laser sights — hog-tied the occupant with zip ties.
They carted off designer clothing, shoes, cash and 1,400 marijuana vape pens, valued at $64,000, police said.
The maximum punishment for the defendants is nine years in prison. But Judge David Gottlieb hinted that may be unlikely.
“All of these defendants are very young and with no significant criminal history or no criminal history at all,” he said. “I think that is a big factor.”
At the time of the robbery, the defendants were between the ages of 18 and 22.
Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 3 in Dept. 20 at 1:30 p.m.
