People v. Aller CA3

BACKGROUND

Placer County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported theft at Northern Video Systems. A Northern Video Systems employee had noticed that a padlock was missing from an exterior storage compartment on a utility vehicle. The employee reviewed security camera footage and noted that some cameras were not working. He went to the roof to investigate and found that the cameras had been removed or turned. He also discovered extensive damage to the heating and air conditioning units and the copper piping on the rooftop. The employee determined that copper pipes connecting the heating and air conditioning units had been cut and taken. In addition, hundreds of feet of coaxial cable had been removed from rooftop security cameras; two security cameras had been removed and one camera redirected; two large commercial heating and air conditioning units had been gutted of copper wiring and aluminum; and a third heating and air conditioning unit had been damaged. There was a black ski mask on the roof of the building and an empty bag of chips near an access ladder. Subsequent DNA analysis of the ski mask revealed DNA matching defendant’s sample. Six days later, Placer County…