People v. Nyambi CA1/2

BACKGROUND

On May 26, 2021, an information charged defendant with burglary (§ 459) and receiving stolen property with a value exceeding $950 (§ 496, subd. (a)).2 Evidence at the preliminary hearing established the following: On July 22, 2019, the owner of a residence in Arcata stated that when he arrived home from work, he saw defendant exiting his garage with two of his backpacks. The owner showed the responding police officer some items that did not belong to him, including a trash bag containing mail addressed to another individual in Arcata and other items. The next day, the officer responded to that address. The owner of that residence reported that someone had broken into his home over the weekend and several of his items worth around $3,000 had gone missing. The owner was shown items in the trash bag found the day before and identified some of the items as his. Meanwhile, at least eight other criminal cases were filed against defendant, charging him with a slew of misdemeanors. On June 7, 2021, the trial court held a pre-trial conference, where defendant appeared with his appointed counsel, Casey Russo. The defense and the People indicated they had reached negotiated…