HUNTINGTON PARK — The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced the arrest of a man who has been charged on four separate felony cases on July 21 for stealing over 12 cars.
Jose Enrique Esquivel, 24, was originally arrested March 30 for driving a stolen truck but was later released on the account of the COVID-19 emergency bail schedule that was created to reduce the amount of people residing in jail.
The release states Equivel was “again arrested for either driving or attempting to steal a truck but released on April 28, May 8, twice on May 14, May 20, May 23, May 27, June 6, June 8, June 13 and June 15,” where he is “charged in case VA153718 with 11 counts of driving or taking a vehicle without consent and in case BA487691 with one count of second-degree burglary of a vehicle for his second May 14 arrest.”
The defendant later was arrested again on June 23 but held out on bail due to the emergency schedule having expired. He has pleaded not guilty to all accounts and sits with a bail of $550,000. Equivel will be returning to court on July 27 and August 10 for the multiple charges.
He has had prior arrests of vehicular theft: twice in 2017 and once both in 2018 and 2019.
Deputy District Attorney Alexander Karkanen of the Task Force for Regional Auto Theft said Esquivel faces a possible maximum sentence of 17 years in state prison if convicted as charged.
