A convicted felon who joined another man in stealing computers and other equipment from Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley was sentenced Wednesday to 16 months in state prison.
Pedro Marcos Perea, 44, of Santa Ana pleaded guilty last month to one count of grand theft under a negotiated agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. No charges were dropped.
During a hearing Wednesday at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Superior Court Judge Thomas Kelly certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.
Perea’s co-defendant, 37-year-old Andrew Jack Hernandez of Fountain Valley, admitted the same felony count last week. Hernandez, who is free on a $10,000 bond, is slated for sentencing on Dec. 6 at the Riverside courthouse.
According to Sgt. Robert Martinez of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, in the predawn hours of June 22, Perea and Hernandez gained access to an auxiliary building on the medical center campus in the 26500 block of Cactus Avenue, where they “stole items, including laptop computers.”
Hospital staff were alerted to the break-in and called 911.
Martinez said patrol deputies arrived a short time later and initiated a search, but were unable to locate the thieves.
Detectives gathered sufficient evidence to identify the men within a day, culminating in an arrest warrant being served on June 23 at a residence in the 900 block of Romneya Drive in Anaheim, where both defendants were taken into custody without incident, the sergeant said.
The specific value of the stolen goods was not disclosed, and there was no word on whether investigators were able to recover any of them.
According to court records, Perea has prior convictions for auto theft, burglary and theft. Hernandez has no documented prior convictions in Riverside County.