One of two men suspected of carrying out a series of burglaries in Desert Hot Springs was sentenced to two years of probation Thursday after pleading guilty to lesser charges.
Judge Melissa Hale sentenced Richard Bates, 58, after the defendant pleaded guilty to felony receiving stolen property and receiving a stolen vehicle charges, according to Thalia Hayden of the Riverside County District Attorney’s office. A burglary charge against Bates was dismissed.
Bates and co-defendant Javien Odell, 32, were both charged in January with the aforementioned three felony counts, according to court records.
Odell initially pleaded not guilty to the charges on Jan. 10 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. His next scheduled court appearance is a felony settlement conference on Aug. 19, according to court records.
Officers responded at about 7:20 a.m. Friday to a report of a commercial burglary in the 66700 block of Two Bunch Palms Trail, according to the Desert Hot Springs Police Department. After the suspect vehicle involved in the burglary was identified, it was found at a residence in the 65600 block of Avenida Dorado, where the stolen property was allegedly found.
“In addition, two stolen vehicles were located and recovered, as well as stolen property from two recent commercial burglaries at a business in the 66000 block of Pierson Boulevard, and a burglary and vehicle theft at Desert Hot Springs High School,” police wrote in a statement.
Odell and Bates were subsequently arrested and booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where they were held in lieu of $10,000 bail, according to inmate records.