Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A Vallejo man who allegedly broke into and took items from an Atherton home’s garage, where homeowners said they saw him watching TV, pleaded not guilty to charges of burglary and trespassing on Thursday, Dec. 26, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

On Monday afternoon, Dec. 23, David Lee Jeffrey Magris, 31, ransacked two garages on a Jennings Lane property, the DA’s office claims.

Magris allegedly loaded a suitcase and backpack with items worth about $500 from the garages before the homeowner’s son saw the intruder in one garage watching TV and told his father, according to a report from the DA’s office.

Magris locked the garage’s door when he saw the father approaching, the report said. The father then called the police, and when officers arrived, Magris ducked down and appeared to reach for something, the Atherton Police Department reported earlier this week.

The suspect complied when officers ordered him to raise his hands. Baseball bats and a hatchet were found near him, according to police.

Magris collected wine, a gaming system, a lantern, a blanket and other items, police said. Beer and wine had been taken from one of the garage’s refrigerators, but had not been opened, according to the DA’s office.

A preliminary hearing has been set for Jan. 9 at 2 p.m. Magris remains in custody on $25,000 bail.

Angela Swartz is The Almanac's editor. She joined The Almanac in 2018. She previously reported on youth and education, and the towns of Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside for The Almanac. Angela, who...

Join the Conversation

1 Comment

  1. I hope a long stay in prison is in order. Too many ‘homeless’ are feeling empowered by weaker laws and softer hearts.
    My nephews friend had a bike stolen by one such person, who was apprehended luckily by two male bystanders who wrestled him to the ground. It was a $700 bike that somehow the authority decided was not grand theft. No idea where the case has gone since but it was disheartened to hear that a fella carrying fetynol and stealing from children was getting a lighter charge cause he opted to be an addict and worthless to society.

Leave a comment