In a recent verdict that reflects ongoing changes in California’s approach to property crimes, Roy Donald Jarrard Jr., age 45, has been found guilty of felony theft by a Stanislaus County jury. This conviction marks Jarrard’s third theft offense, which, under the new standards set by California’s Proposition 36, escalates the crime to a felony level. The jury also convicted him for carrying drug paraphernalia and for a previous serious felony conviction, according to the Stanislaus County District Attorney.
The Stanislaus County District Attorney, through a social media post by District Attorney Jeff Laugero, detailed the events leading to Jarrard’s conviction. Having targeted the Dicks Sporting Goods store in Modesto last December, Jarrard made away with various items, only to be apprehended shortly by Modesto Police Department officers. During the arrest, officers discovered a methamphetamine pipe on Jarrard.
“The voters overwhelmingly passed Prop 36 and the District Attorney’s Office has been fully implementing the provisions of the new law since it took effect,” stated District Attorney Jeff Laugero, as described on the official Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Facebook page. Proposition 36 notably modifies the criminal justice landscape by not only increasing the penalty severity for repeat theft offenders but also making drug possession a felony under similar repeat offense circumstances…