Man Accused In Temecula Robbery Linked To Vandalism At Churches: Cops

TEMECULA, CA — A spate of vandalism across Murrieta, Lake Elsinore and Menifee is tied to two men who have been arrested, and one of them already stands accused in an unrelated Temecula holdup, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced Thursday.

Sean Truman Harris, 35, and Jacob Daniel Oberg, 30, vandalized two Murrieta churches in early April, and also tagged businesses in Lake Elsinore and Menifee, according to the sheriff's department.

On May 5, a search warrant was served at a Cedarpines Park residence where Harris had been living in San Bernardino County. At the time, he was already in custody in Riverside County on an unrelated robbery charge in Temecula that stemmed back to March, but investigators found evidence at the Cedarpines Park home that also tied him to the vandalism incidents, according to the sheriff's department.

Read about Harris and the alleged robbery in Temecula: String Of Armed Robberies In Temecula Leads To Arrest

Court records show Harris pleaded not guilty to one felony count of robbery from the March incident and is due to appear for a felony settlement conference next month in the case. He has not been formally charged in the alleged vandalism spree, court records show, although the sheriff's department reported charges are pending.

Harris is being held at Southwest Detention Center in lieu of $500,000 bail. He has a criminal history in Riverside County and has served prison time, court records show.

The link to Oberg was discovered during the May 5 search warrant service in Cedarpines Park, according to the sheriff's department, although investigators did not provide many details.

Oberg was arrested June 28 at the Rodeway Inn on Front Street in Temecula — a location tied to Harris' alleged March robbery. A search warrant was also served at Oberg's Lake Elsinore apartment, where "additional graffiti-related evidence" was found, according to the sheriff's department.

Oberg has been formally charged with three counts of felony vandalism and three misdemeanor drug offenses; he pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to court records. He is due to appear in court Tuesday for a felony settlement conference.

Oberg is also facing charges for several unrelated crimes in Riverside County, according to court records. He is currently out of custody on a $10,000 bail bond.