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Burglar enters guilty plea to all 24 counts
By Jana Seshadri
David Vincent Lynch, who was charged with breaking into 24 businesses in Sunnyvale and Mountain View, pleaded guilty to all 24 counts of second degree commercial burglary and two misdemeanor charges of possession of burglary tools and driving under a suspended license.
"Mr. Lynch was made an offer by the judge, even though the state was not happy with it," said James Leonard, Deputy District Attorney for the North County Office of Santa Clara County.
According to Leonard, the judge will sentence Lynch to one year in county jail and will order him to make restitution for the damages, which should be close to $35,000 or higher. Lynch will also be on probation for five years, Leonard said.
On Jan. 28 Lynch's attorney, Craig Brown, met with the judge, a representative each from the District Attorney's office and the probation department to discuss his past criminal record and his current case, Leonard said. Lynch was charged with 24 felony counts of commercial burglary mostly of technology companies in Sunnyvale and Mountain View.
Mountain View police had developed a profile of the burglar after analyzing a string of break-ins last year from March to November. The profile helped detectives predict the area the burglar would strike next and stakeouts of that area led to evidence linking Lynch with the burglaries. On Nov. 3, 2001, officers stopped Lynch for an outstanding warrant shortly after a commercial burglary fitting their profile was reported. The officers found a stolen laptop computer, belonging to the company that had been burglarized minutes before, in Lynch's car.
Lynch had originally pleaded "not guilty" to all charges. If convicted on all counts, his sentence could have been more than eighteen years in prison, Leonard said, but the judge has suggested a lenient sentence because Lynch does not have a significant past criminal record.
Lynch will be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. on Apr. 25 in Department 88 of the Palo Alto Courthouse, according to Leonard. There could be a change in his sentencing if something major develops between now and then or if for some reason, Lynch changes his plea, Leonard said.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
