A 33-year-old felon accused of perpetrating a series of burglaries targeting businesses in Temecula and surrounding locations pleaded not guilty Wednesday to more than a dozen felony charges.
Joseph Andrew Roybal of French Valley was arrested Friday following a weeks-long Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation.
Roybal is charged with 14 counts of burglary and one count of possession of burglary tools.
He was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Jeff Zimel, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 2 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
Roybal is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Josh Hephner, in June, personnel from the sheriff’s Southwest station began investigating a spate of commercial burglaries in which a 2021 Honda Clarity was used by the burglar to haul away stolen merchandise.
Multiple businesses were forcibly entered, and numerous items taken, Hephner said.
Detectives ultimately confirmed the Honda belonged to Roybal, and he was identified as the alleged burglar in more than a dozen instances, according to court documents.
An arrest warrant was served at his residence in the 30800 block of Wisteria Loop, where he was taken into custody without incident Friday evening.
Court records show Roybal has documented prior felony convictions for burglary, attempted burglary, vandalism and resisting arrest.