LOS ANGELES — A Huntington Park man has been charged in four separate felony cases with stealing more than a dozen cars in Los Angeles and surrounding areas between March and June after getting re-arrested and released.
Jose Enrique Esquivel aka Jose Esquibel, 24, faces a total of 14 felony counts.
On March 30, Esquivel was arrested for allegedly driving a stolen truck and released per the COVID-19 emergency bail schedule, aimed at reducing the jail population during the pandemic. He was charged with one count of driving or taking a vehicle without consent.
Esquivel 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.
Esquivel is charged with 11 counts of driving or taking a vehicle without consent and one count of second-degree burglary of a vehicle for his second May 14 arrest.
On June 23, Esquivel was arrested for allegedly stealing another truck but held on bail because the emergency bail schedule had ended. He was charged with one count of driving or taking a vehicle without consent.
Esquivel has pleaded not guilty to the charges and bail is set at $550,000.
The felony complaints include allegations that Esquivel committed most of the crimes while out on his own recognizance and he was previously convicted of driving or taking a vehicle without consent twice in 2017 and once 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.
The cases remain under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s and the Los Angeles Police departments.
