People v. Pimentel CA4/1

I.

BACKGROUND

A. Facts from Preliminary Hearing On September 30, 2004, law enforcement officers were surveilling a house in Moreno Valley. Two men exited the house and drove off in a pickup truck to a used car dealership in Rubidoux. Pimentel arrived at the dealership in an SUV. After a brief meeting, the three left. The two men who had met Pimentel returned to the house in Moreno Valley. They later exited the house, each carrying a red and white box which they placed in the trunk of a Honda Accord parked in the driveway. The two men drove off in the pickup truck, and a third man exited the house and drove off in the Honda. They all drove to a commercial parking lot in Rancho Cucamonga, where Pimentel arrived in the SUV. The pickup truck remained in the parking lot while the Honda and the SUV were driven to a residence in Rancho Cucamonga. Upon arrival at the residence, Pimentel motioned the driver of the Honda to pull into the garage, and the two then entered the residence. Approximately 15 to 20 minutes later, the driver of the Honda exited and drove back to the commercial parking lot. About an hour after that, Pimentel left in the SUV. After another 15 to 20 minutes, a man…