Recent convictions in auto theft cases

The Stanislaus County district attorney's office recently announced convictions in these auto theft cases.

Raymond Joey Dale Arias, 26, of Modesto was convicted of auto theft, evading a peace officer and driving under the influence; he was sentenced to one year and four months in prison. He was arrested twice in December for separate incidents. On Dec. 11, a sheriff's deputy spotted a 1994 orange GMC pickup speeding in a residential zone near Hammond Street and Robertson Road. According to authorities, the driver accelerated when the officer tried to pull him over, reached speeds of 80 mph and ignored traffic lights and stop signs before he lost control and crashed. A test showed that Arias' blood alcohol level was 0.21 percent, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent. A few weeks later, on New Year's Eve, Arias was arrested at the wheel of a stolen 2001 red Ford F-150 pickup. The truck's owner left the keys in the ignition while talking to friends; Arias was apprehended after he crashed the truck.

Christopher Matthew Barrett, 31, of Modesto was convicted of auto theft and resisting arrest and sentenced to five years in prison. Barrett, who previously went to prison for auto theft and residential burglary, was spotted Feb. 18 driving a 1954 black Ford pickup away from a used car lot on Yosemite Boulevard. The owner of the car lot and a mechanic alerted authorities as they followed Barrett in the stolen truck. Barrett was apprehended within minutes, authorities said.

Matt Steven Berg, 23, of Modesto was convicted of auto theft and sentenced to three years in prison. Berg stole a landscaper's 1997 gray Toyota pickup and utility trailer at a Chevron gas station in Manteca on Oct. 1. According to authorities, the truck's owner left the vehicle unlocked, with keys inside, while he went in a convenience store. Two people called police after they watched Berg abandon the truck in a parking lot on Tully Road in Modesto. A judge increased Berg's sentence because he had been convicted of theft in 2006.

Phillip Martin Costa, 36, of Modesto was convicted of auto theft, evading a peace officer and reckless driving while under the influence; he was sentenced to six years in prison. Costa, who was on parole for auto theft convictions from 2001 and 2004, was spotted driving a stolen 1986 white Nissan pickup that had no rear license plate about 2:50 p.m. on March 26. He fled from the California Highway Patrol, reaching speeds of 70 mph on residential streets near Paradise and Carpenter roads, then abandoned the truck after one of its tires was deflated. A police dog, Gizmo, tracked Costa to a nearby back yard, where he was arrested.

Rafael Galvan, 36, of Waterford was convicted of possession of a stolen boat and trailer after a jury trial in Stanislaus County Superior Court, then sentenced to seven years in prison. Sheriff's deputies spotted Galvan in April 2008, towing a trailer associated with a boat that had been stolen six days earlier from the driveway of a home on Quicksilver Street in Waterford. Initially, Galvan claimed that the boat had been abandoned, authorities said. Later, he said he took it to Fox Grove Fishing Access near Hughson, where authorities found it. The boat's ignition and canopy had been damaged. Galvan's sentence was lengthened because he had been convicted of battery in 1997 and assault in 2002, but a judge declined to impose a 25-years-to- life sentence under California's "three strikes" law.

Douglas Lee Gowin, 48, of Modesto was convicted of attempted possession of a stolen vehicle and sentenced to eight months in prison. He was spotted near a stolen 1990 Nissan pickup about 6 p.m. March 16, near Benson and Larkin avenues. The truck, which was reported stolen in January, had a damaged steering column, authorities said.

Steven Allan Leonard II, 29, of Sacramento was convicted of auto theft and residential burglary and sentenced to four years and eight months in prison. Leonard was on probation for identity theft and his case involved two crimes. Modesto police found Leonard's fingerprint in the garage of a home on Viader Drive, where someone stole a 2008 silver Audi Quattro on Sept. 25. On Nov. 21, Leonard was spotted near Frances and McHenry avenues, getting out of a 1997 blue BMW 740i that had been reported stolen two days earlier. A search of Leonard's room at Don Pedro Motel revealed stolen property.

Joel Adam Marcelja, 28, of Stockton was convicted of auto theft and sentenced to one year and four months in prison. Marcelja, who was on parole for auto theft, stole a 1989 red Chevy Camaro from a friend March 23.

Robert Mando, 39, of Modesto was convicted of attempted auto theft and sentenced to two years and six months in prison. He was on parole for auto theft June 27 when he tried to steal a 2001 black Mercedes S55 AMG at a Valero gas station on Coffee Road.

Caleb Andrew Parr, 31, was convicted of auto theft and sentenced to 16 months in prison. A transient, Parr recently had been released from prison after serving time for theft. Authorities recovered a stolen white 1992 Honda Civic, with Parr's fingerprints on the outside of the driver's side window, in an alley behind Gary Lane in Modesto.