Two men who were involved in the “smash and grab” burglary series of businesses in Hillcrest and elsewhere were sentenced Jan. 25 to prison terms. The longest sentence of 10 years and eight months went to Jeffrey Ryan Jakse, 27, who was arrested in Hillcrest Oct. 19. Carlos Carranza Castaneda, 25, received five years and…
Two men have pleaded guilty to multiple charges in the “smash and grab” burglary series in Hillcrest and Normal Heights in which the bandits broke windows in restaurants and fled with cash from the registers. Carlos Carranza Castaneda, 25, pleaded guilty to burglarizing the Saffron restaurant, at 3731 India St., and D’Angelo’s Pizza, at 4592…
SAN DIEGO — Two teenagers who held up nine pedestrians at gunpoint in Hillcrest, North Park, and La Jolla were sentenced Dec. 10 to 21 and 13 years in prison respectively, but two robbery victims told the judge the sentences were too harsh. Victor Ledesma, 19, received 21 years and four months and Jonah Michael…
Two teenagers who held up nine pedestrians in a crime spree that began in Hillcrest face long potential prison terms after pleading guilty to all charges Victor Ledesma, 19, and Jonah Michael Ledesma, 18, will be sentenced Dec. 10 by San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh. Victor Ledesma faces 42 years while Jonah Ledesma…
The getaway driver in 11 robberies and attempted holdups in Hillcrest, Ocean Beach, Golden Hill and elsewhere was sentenced July 1 to one year in jail. Benjamin Hernandez, 24, of National City, was released because his jail credits totaled 1,028 days as he received credit for good behavior while in jail since his arrest nearly…
An armed robber who was charged with holding up 11 people in Ocean Beach, Hillcrest, Golden Hill and elsewhere on the same night was sentenced Monday to seven years in state prison. Restitution for the victims against Joseph Andres Garcia, 20, of San Diego, will be determined in a later hearing. San Diego Superior Court…
A judge June 3 ordered a robber suspected of being the “Peep Bandit” to stand trial for five robberies of adult bookstores and three other hold-ups. Four detectives who interviewed the employees of Mercury Books, Adult Emporium, 7-Eleven and two Subway sandwich shops were the witnesses in the preliminary hearing of Oscar Augustin Smith Jr.,…
SAN DIEGO — Two robbery suspects accused of 11 hold-ups in Hillcrest, Golden Hill, Mission Beach, and elsewhere all on the same night have been ordered to stand trial. Additional charges may be added after all the victims testified April 8 in the preliminary hearing of Joseph Andres Garcia, 19, and Benjamin Hernandez, 23, in…
The alleged getaway driver in 11 robberies and attempted robberies in Hillcrest and elsewhere will face a Feb. 20 preliminary hearing. The crimes all occurred Feb. 2 to pedestrians in Hillcrest, Ocean Beach, Golden Hill, Mission Beach, UCSD, and the Midtown area. Benjamin Hernandez, 23, pleaded not guilty Feb. 5 before San Diego Superior Court…
