‘Deplorable’ Fresno street vendor bandit sentenced. Judge questions whether it’s enough
The Fresno man caught on video stealing from several street vendors on Valentine’s Day was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison.
Martin Chavez, Jr., 21, agreed to plead no contest to one court of second-degree robbery last month.
In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop three remaining charges of second-degree robbery.
Chavez was accused of snatching several Valentine’s Day gifts from vendors at Tulare Avenue and First Street. He allegedly scuffled with three women and a 77-year-old man who tried to stop him.
The bold robbery caught the public’s attention after cell phone video of the crime was posted on TikTok and Instagram.
Chavez made off with his stolen Valentine’s Day goods that day. But thanks to social media, it took police just two days to track him down and arrest him.
Chavez’s public defender Ryan Yoo asked Judge James Kelley for leniency. Yoo said Chavez is remorseful and admitted his guilt early on. Chavez has also been struggling with long-term substance abuse, Yoo said.
Kelley wasn’t swayed.
As part of his plea deal with prosecutors, Chavez admitted to a prior strike. He was convicted in 2021 for assault with a deadly weapon when he struck a victim with a metal religious cross.
Kelley said that because of his prior strike, his sentence of three years is automatically doubled.
“I don’t know if six years is adequate here,” Kelley said. “But the defendant’s behavior was deplorable on that date and he affected a lot of people.”
Kelley acknowledged that Chavez did not seriously injure anyone during the robbery and was likely still battling his addiction.
“I am hoping that after this prison term, we don’t see this type of thing from him again,” Kelley said.
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 3:27 PM.
