People v. Meier CA1/3

BACKGROUND

Early one morning in August 2022, a police officer noticed the front security frame of a smoke shop completely torn off. Broken glass was on the floor, and an unknown person had rummaged through the cash register area. An automated teller machine (ATM) was partially pried open and dented in several places.

1 The store’s surveillance footage revealed a stolen black Chevrolet Tahoe backing up in front of the store earlier that morning. A tall person wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black hat, black shorts, visible blue underwear, and black tennis shoes exited the vehicle and peered into the store’s windows. The person and a shorter accomplice wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt tied heavy chains from the car’s tow hitch to the security door frame. The car drove forward, tearing off the security frame and door. The men entered the store wearing blue latex gloves. The shorter man took fabric softener, detergent, clothing — such as sweaters, T-shirts, and thermals — cigarettes, and lighters, and loaded them into the car. Meanwhile, the taller man attempted to extract the ATM out of the ground. The men eventually gave up trying to steal the ATM and drove away. While officers…