One of two Arizona men accused of burglarizing a Woodside home in 2012 pleaded no contest on July 13 to one count each of burglary, grand theft and possession of stolen property, all felonies, in exchange for three years in state prison, according to San Mateo County prosecutors.
Michael Hunter Wallen, 49, agreed to a plea bargain with Criminal Presiding Judge Leland Davis; prosecutors wanted a six-year prison term, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said in a report. Mr. Wallen is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 7 and remains in jail on $500,000 bail, Mr. Wagstaffe said.
The co-defendant in the case, Bradley Sullivan, 52, is facing the same charges but opted for a trial, for which a jury is being chosen, prosecutors said.
The two men flew to the Bay Area in March 2012 and, while here, allegedly burglarized an unoccupied Woodside home of jewelry with an estimated value of $30,000 to $50,000, prosecutors said.
A video recording from a neighbor's surveillance camera showed two men pulling up in front of the victims' home in a rental car and emerging from the car, prosecutors said. One man walked up to the home while the other stayed behind to hide the car's license plate number, but not before the camera recorded it, prosecutors said.
An investigation led detectives to the defendants' home in Glendale, Arizona, prosecutors said. Detectives with a search warrant allegedly found jewelry matching descriptions of the jewelry stolen from the Woodside home, prosecutors said.
