Two men in their 20s were charged Thursday with a series of thefts from self-storage spaces in Laguna Niguel and Irvine as well as catalytic converters from cars.
Abraham Alexis Beltran, 20, is charged with two counts of grand theft, a count of burglary, a count of grand theft of a firearm and vandalism, all felonies.
Co-defendant Anthony Matthew Nunezpina, 25, is charged with seven counts of grand theft, three counts of grand theft of a firearm, three counts of burglary, and four counts of vandalism, all felonies.
Nunezpina is accused of stealing property from Extra Space Public Storage, 16243 Construction Circle West, in Irvine, on June 20,
Nunezpina also allegedly stole property from Public Storage at 6 Whatney in Irvine.
Nunezpina is also accused of vandalizing with graffiti a storage space in Irvine on Dec. 16. He is also accused of breaking into Cube Smart Storage on Christmas Day.
Both men are accused of breaking in and stealing property from Public Storage at 27201 Cabot Road in Laguna Niguel on Dec. 6.
They were also accused of stealing catalytic converters from vehicles, which is an increasing target of thieves as the value of the palladium and rhodium in the car parts has risen sharply in recent years, according to Orange County sheriff’s Sgt. Dennis Breckner.
Nunezpina pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana and was ordered to return to court for a pretrial hearing March 4 in the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach. Court records for Beltran were not immediately available.