This career criminal was good at auto theft, carjacking and robbery, but not driving

A career criminal who used Craigslist to find his victims was sentenced Thursday to 39 years to life in prison for a crime spree in Fresno that ended when he led police on a high-speed chase and crashed into a home.

In court papers, Christopher Julius Glaude, 38, contended in Fresno County Superior Court that his life of crime was due to drug addiction. But prosecutor Robert Veneman-Hughes told Judge Arlan Harrell that Glaude has no drug-related arrests or convictions. Glaude also declined to have probation officials investigate any potential substance abuse problems, the prosecutor said.

In announcing the sentence, Harrell described Glaude as “opportunistic” who used planning and sophistication to commit his crimes. “That’s what makes him a danger,” the judge said, noting that Glaude’s criminal history, which began as a juvenile, includes convictions for residential burglary.

In February, Glaude was found guilty of 10 felony charges, including auto theft, carjacking, robbery and evading police.

During his trial, Veneman-Hughes said Glaude went on a crime spree in the fall of 2012. It started on Oct. 23, 2012, when Glaude found a car being sold on Craigslist and asked the seller if he could test drive the vehicle. After Glaude drove the car, the seller, who was sitting in the passenger seat, got out. Glaude then sped off..

A few days later, Glaude kicked in a door of a home and burglarized it.

Then on Oct. 26, 2012, Glaude was caught by the CHP driving a second stolen car. He was booked into jail, but correctional officers released him four days later because of overcrowding, court records say.

The crime spree ended on Nov. 12, 2012, when Glaude used Craigslist to find another car seller. He pretended to be a mechanic and asked to take the car for a test drive. While on the test drive, he pointed a long black gun that looked like a revolver, but turned out to be a pellet gun, at the seller.

Glaude stole the victim’s Honda near Dakota and Weber avenues and robbed the victim of his wallet, Veneman-Hughes told the jury. He later led police on a high-speed chase on Ashlan Avenue, reaching speeds of 80 mph, before he lost control and crashed into a house at Ashlan and Polk avenues, west of Highway 99. Glaude jumped out and began running, but was quickly apprehended by a police dog, the prosecutor said.

This story was originally published July 20, 2017 at 1:47 PM with the headline "This career criminal was good at auto theft, carjacking and robbery, but not driving."