People v. Jones CA4/2

BACKGROUND

In 2022, David Nguyen purchased a residence on Aspen Drive in Twentynine

Palms, California. He primarily used it as an Airbnb rental and rented it throughout the

year. There is an Airbnb sign in front of the property, as required by the city. Nguyen

lives approximately two and one-half hours away from the Aspen Drive property.

On June 7, 2023, Nguyen’s next-door neighbor in Twentynine Palms, Lawrence

Magnani, informed Nguyen that he had noticed a couple taking full garbage bags from

Nguyen’s Aspen Drive property and loading them into a car. Nguyen did not know the

couple and did not give them permission to be in the residence or to remove any items

from it. No one was inside the residence when the couple entered it. A guest had booked

the property for rental starting that day but had not yet arrived. Nguyen waited until the

Airbnb guests left several days later to call law enforcement.

Magnani provided the police with video recordings of the incident taken from a

surveillance camera at his home. A sheriff’s deputy identified Jones in the recordings.

Nguyen and Magnani described the items that were taken from the house, which included

2 a laundry basket, a…