SALINAS – Angel Sylvestre Martinez, 34 from Monterey, was sentenced to 12 years in prison this week, after pleading no contest to first-degree burglary.
According to a press release from the District Attorney’s Office, he had a previous “strike” conviction within California’s Three Strike Law.
The release said on Sept. 10, officers from the Monterey Police Department responded to an in-progress burglary of a Monterey residence. A witness reported seeing a male enter their neighbors’ residence through the window and knew their neighbors were not home.
The witness took photos of the male and showed officers. Officers found signs that a person had just entered the home and learned cash was missing from inside the residence.
Employees from a nearby sober living facility, where Martinez resided, recognized Martinez’s face and the clothing he was wearing from the witness’s photo.
Dispatch received a 911 call from Martinez “a short time later,” where he said he fell down a ravine near the burglarized residence. Officers responded to the call and placed Martinez under arrest.
