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Alleged masterminds in WSR burglary plead not guilty
Probable cause has been found to warrant the filing of six charges against two men accused of instructing a group of teenagers to burglarize the William S. Reyes Elementary School in Chalan Kanoa, where laptops and other items worth $7,801.40 were stolen.
At a preliminary hearing on Friday, Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo found probable cause to charge Ignacio Leon Guerrero and Vincent Sanchez each with burglary, theft, and conspiracy to commit burglary and/or theft.
Assistant attorney general Heather Barcinas called to the witness stand police detective Olympio S. Muna, who detailed for the court the police investigation that led to the suspects’ arrest last Jan. 13 and 14 and the recovery of some of the stolen items.
Attorneys Matthew Gregory and Michael Ernest are the court-appointed counsels for the 33-year-old Leon Guerrero and 19-year-old Sanchez respectively.
At yesterday’s arraignment, the suspects, through their counsels, pleaded not guilty.
According to the information filed by Barcinas, on or between Dec. 20 and 21, 2014, Leon Guerrero caused Sanchez and three juveniles to burglarize WSR with the purpose of committing theft.
Among the items stolen were five Asus laptops, 10 Lenovo laptops, an HP laptop, a Sony Vaio laptop, an Apple iPad Air, two Acer laptops, a Toshiba portable hard drive, wireless router, water blaster, cordless drill, and a gas blower.
Police also arrested three male teenagers, but the case against them was sealed because they are minors.
Police recovered some of the stolen items at Leon Guerrero’s home, located along Emilia Avenue in Chalan Kanoa, during a search last Dec. 29.
Muña said a police officer was dispatched to WSR school last Dec. 21 at 6:19pm after police received a call about a burglary incident.
Muña said the officer learned from a WSR staff that burglars entered three classrooms, the maintenance building, and the library.
Two days later, on Dec. 23, a woman provided information to police about the burglary that led to the suspects’ identification and subsequent arrest, Muña said.
