A pair of convicted felons accused of breaking into a U-Haul storage yard in Menifee and stealing gas from rental trucks were charged Friday with petty theft and other offenses.
Juan Antonio Godinez, 30, and Roger Michael Guerra, 43, both of Perris, were arrested in the predawn hours Tuesday while allegedly in the act of siphoning gas from vehicles at the U-Haul outlet in the 27800 block of Holland Road, just west of Interstate 215.
Along with theft, Godinez and Guerra are each charged with misdemeanor vandalism, trespassing and being in possession of burglary tools. They’re slated to a make a joint initial court appearance Friday afternoon at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
Godinez is being held in lieu of $10,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center, while Guerra is being held without bail at the same lockup.
According to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Staton, deputies were alerted about 1:20 a.m. Tuesday to a break-in at the U-Haul facility. Patrolmen arrived and “located the suspects, their vehicles and several large containers used for gasoline storage,” Staton said, adding that the defendants were taken into custody without a struggle.
A witness told investigators that “the subjects and their vehicles (had been) several times at the facility,” the sergeant said.
According to court records, Godinez has prior convictions for arson, possession of controlled substances and throwing objects at a moving vehicle, while Guerra has a prior conviction for auto theft.
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