A Thousand Oaks man pleaded not guilty to felony commercial burglary in Ventura County Superior Court on June 2 for stealing from a grocery store in May.
The man also denied several special allegations, including that the manner in which the crime was committed indicated planning, sophistication or professionalism, according to court records. Such allegations carry the possibility of increased jail time if found guilty.
The charge stems from an incident on May 17 where deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office arrived at a grocery store in Via Las Brisas in Thousand Oaks around 3:30 a.m., according to a sheriff’s office news release.
Investigators with the sheriff’s office said a man forced his way into a grocery store while it was closed and stole money and a large amount of California Lottery lottery tickets.
Sheriff’s investigators, along with investigators from the California Lottery, were able to identify the man as a 30-year-old man from Thousand Oaks, officials said.
Detectives served a search warrant at the man’s home and allegedly found additional evidence tying the man to the burglary, sheriff’s officials said. The man was allegedly found hiding under his grandmother’s bed during the search and was arrested on suspicion of felony burglary.
He was booked into Ventura County jail with bail set at $15,000, jail records show. He is scheduled to return to court on June 8.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Thousand Oaks man pleads not guilty to lottery ticket, cash burglary
Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
