Murrieta Thief Gets 10 Years in Prison

By City News Service:

A probationer who carjacked a Moreno Valley woman and then shoplifted goods from a Murrieta store was sentenced this week to 10 years in state prison.

Joseph Maria Herrera, 29, pleaded guilty last month to carjacking, drug dealing and receiving stolen goods under an agreement negotiated with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors dropped other charges against the defendant, including grand theft and assault.

Superior Court Judge Kelly Hansen certified the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.

According to Murrieta police, Herrera approached a woman parking her Toyota Camry outside a business in Moreno Valley on the morning of July 3, 2015, and simulated a handgun underneath his shirt.

Lt. Tony Conrad said the defendant demanded that the victim surrender her vehicle to him, which she did. Herrera then headed south.

On the afternoon of July 5, Herrera and two female accomplices went into the Super Target on Clinton Keith Road in Murrieta and snatched $3,000 worth of merchandise, carried it out to the stolen car and sped away, Conrad said.

Store security immediately alerted police to the theft, and Murrieta patrol officers spotted the Toyota moments later approaching Interstate 215 from Clinton Keith. The officers signaled Herrera to stop, and he complied.

The defendant, along with 33-year-old Leisha Marie Jicka of Hemet and Josephine Maria Pantoja of Murrieta, were arrested without incident.

Jicka and Pantoja pleaded guilty less than two weeks later to misdemeanor shoplifting and were each sentenced to three years probation.

According to court records, Herrera has prior misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence, possession of illegal drugs and battery.

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