A 29-year-old Chino Hills man was charged Monday with burglarizing two businesses in Laguna Beach while out on bail on charges of burglarizing a Tustin car dealership.
Joseph Hector Hernandez was charged with two counts of burglary and single counts each of grand theft and receiving stolen property, all felonies, as well as misdemeanor counts of possession of burglary tools, possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Hernandez is accused of burglarizing Crown Reconstruction Services at 2055 Laguna Canyon Road and another business at 1945 Laguna Canyon Road on Thursday, according to the criminal complaint.
Hernandez was out of custody after posting $20,000 bail on Dec. 1 on charges of allegedly burglarizing the Tustin-Buick-GMC dealer at 1 Auto Center Drive on Sept. 20, according to court records. In that case, he was charged with a felony count of burglary as well as misdemeanor counts of resisting police, possession of burglary tools and prowling, according to court records.
A bench warrant was issued for Hernandez on Oct. 2 when he failed to show for a court hearing, but he was released when he made bail in December, according to court records.
Hernandez is also facing drug-related misdemeanor charges in two other separate cases dating back to last year and in 2020, according to court records.
Laguna Beach police reported an officer on patrol spotted a vehicle leaving a business on Laguna Canyon Road about 3:45 a.m. Thursday and stopped the driver. Police had stepped up patrols on Laguna Canyon Road due to an uptick in burglaries, police said.
Police alleged that the stolen equipment found in the vehicle Hernandez was driving was worth about $20,000.