An Orange County man who joined a felon in stealing computers and other equipment from the Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley was sentenced Wednesday to two years felony probation.
Andrew Jack Hernandez, 37, of Fountain Valley in October admitted a charge of grand theft under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. No charges were dismissed under the bargain.
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.
Hernandez’s co-defendant, 44-year-old Pedro Marcos Perea of Santa Ana, pleaded guilty to the same charge and was sentenced in October to 16 months in state prison.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Martinez, in the predawn hours of June 22, 2023, 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 that 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 it was unclear whether investigators were able to recover any of them.
According to court records, Perea had prior convictions for auto theft, burglary and theft. Hernandez has no documented prior convictions in Riverside County.