One of two men who stole tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise loaded into cargo trailers parked outside a Woodcrest warehouse pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony and misdemeanor charges and was immediately sentenced to nine months in jail and two years’ probation.
Brayan Cardenas, 27, of Perris, on Tuesday admitted charges of burglary, being a felon in possession of a firearm and trespassing under a pretrial agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors dropped two related charges against Cardenas.
During a hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Superior Court Judge Gary Polk certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.
In September, Cardenas’ co-defendant, 20-year-old Eduardo Urena, also of Perris, pleaded guilty to one count of grand theft and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and two years’ probation.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Mahoney, the men came under investigation on Aug. 30 following a theft at a property in the 20000 block of Krameria Avenue, near Barton Street, where multiple warehouses are located.
Mahoney said deputies determined trucks’ cargo trailers parked at the location had been forcibly opened and numerous items stolen, including electronics, household appliances and tools. The total loss was estimated at $75,000.
The investigation pointed to the defendants as the perpetrators, and deputies served a search warrant at a property in the 1500 block of Palma Bonita Lane in Perris used by one of the men, according to Mahoney.
Along with all of the loot, “two firearms, ammunition, currency and cocaine” were seized by deputies, the sergeant said.
The men were taken into custody without incident hours later.
Cardenas has at least one documented prior felony conviction, but it wasn’t listed in court documents. Background information on Urena was unavailable.
