Pair Charged With Stealing, Damaging HVAC Units At RivCo Schools

RIVERSIDE, CA — Two convicted felons accused of gutting, or otherwise damaging, multiple HVAC units at nearly a dozen Riverside schools were out of custody Wednesday.

Rudy D. Hernandez, 47, and Kristy Lynn Zaragoza, 43, both of Riverside, were arrested last month following a joint investigation by the Riverside Police Department and Riverside Unified School District security personnel.

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Each defendant is charged with grand theft and felony vandalism. Hernandez is additionally charged with sentence-enhancing allegations of acting in concert to perpetrate a felony offense and causing property damage in excess of $50,000.

The pair pleaded not guilty during a joint arraignment in April, after which Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gary Polk scheduled a felony settlement conference for July 24 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. He additionally set bail for each defendant at $40,000.

In recent weeks, Hernandez and Zaragoza were able to satisfy the bond requirements and were released from jail.

According to Riverside police Detective Steve Espinosa, the duo committed thefts during the winter months at a total of nine campuses spread throughout the Riverside Unified School District.

They targeted HVAC systems — which produce air-conditioning and heat —stealing various components, likely for their copper content and other base metal value, Espinosa alleged. After the parts were ripped out, the systems were left inoperable, he said.

"The total estimated damage to HVAC systems across the affected campuses exceeded $130,000," the detective said.

After a theft at North High School in early March, RUSD staff and Riverside police investigators began coordinating efforts to identify the perpetrators. Espinosa said the combined resources led to recovery of video surveillance images that confirmed the vehicle used in the thefts.

That car was traced to the defendants, according to the police spokesman.

They were taken into custody without incident on April 9 along University Avenue.

Court records indicated that both Hernandez and Zaragoza have documented prior theft-related felony convictions.