Member of burglary and home-invasion robbery crew convicted, Sacramento County DA says
A jury convicted a member of a burglary crew that broke into 15 homes in Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado counties, including home-invasion robberies, prosecutors said.
The jury on Oct. 1 found Jose Carl Smith guilty of home-invasion robbery with a gun, two counts of attempted home-invasion robbery and 18 counts of residential burglary, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday in a news release.
Prosecutors said Smith also was convicted of evading a police officer, child endangerment and being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition, stemming from an April 2019 chase in which Smith tried to evade sheriff’s investigators with his infant daughter in the back seat of his vehicle.
Smith and several co-conspirators burglarized 15 homes from January through April 2019, including several break-ins in which the residents were home and the suspects robbed or tried to rob them using force, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 26, 2019, was called to an Antelope-area home that had been burglarized earlier that day. Sheriff’s officials said security camera video showed a suspect holding a handgun to the head of the resident’s dog. The suspect stole multiple valuable items from the home. The dog was not injured.
Sheriff’s investigators identified Smith and Anthony Mosqueda, who was taken into custody on unrelated charges several days after the Antelope burglary, authorities said.
On April 18, 2019, investigators were preparing to serve a search warrant at a home in the 800 block of Fulton Avenue when they spotted Smith leave in a vehicle. After a short pursuit, Smith was detained near the 2700 block of Lerwick Road, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Smith’s infant child, found in the back seat, was not injured.
Prosecutors said Smith was found that day with several stolen items, including a stolen handgun and large amounts of stolen ammunition. More than 70 guns stolen by Smith and his co-conspirators were never recovered, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
On Wednesday, Smith remained in custody at the Sacramento County Jail. He’s scheduled to return Nov. 5 to Sacramento Superior Court for his sentencing hearing.
Prosecutors said Smith faces a maximum sentence of 67 years and 10 months in prison. Deputy District Attorney Matthew Moore prosecuted the case.
