VISTA — Two men accused of stealing beer from a delivery truck will have to stand trial for charges related to the theft, a Superior Court judge ruled Feb. 24.
David Valdivia, 41, is charged with petty theft with a prior and one misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property. His co-defendant, Marcus Meyer, 38, is charged with one count each of petty theft, receiving stolen property and disturbing the peace by fighting — all misdemeanors.
Prosecutors allege the defendants heisted several cases of canned Corona Feb. 5 from a delivery truck on South Santa Fe Road in Vista, which was making a delivery at the American Legion.
Chad Strouffert, the delivery driver, said when he came back from dropping off his shipment at the American Legion, he noticed Meyer drinking a can of Corona and another man, who he couldn’t identify, putting a couple cases of Corona in a car.
As Strouffert recorded the car’s license plate number, he testified Meyer charged at him. “I’m being threatened by some people who stole beer from my truck,” Strouffert testified he told the 911 operator.
The driver of the vehicle, who wasn’t charged in the case, told police Valdivia contacted him about picking him and Meyer up because they acquired some beer. At the time of the incident, he said the defendants were his roommates at a Vista halfway house on Escondido Avenue.
Shortly after arriving at the crime scene, sheriff’s deputy Heather Bruton testified she contacted Meyer with two 12-packs of Corona beer next to the dumpsters of a restaurant across the street.
Meyer’s trial date is scheduled for April 14, while Valdivia’s trial is set for March 22. Both men remain in custody and could face jail time if convicted.
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