One suspect accused of stealing pharmaceuticals from the Hollister Safeway store was sentenced and another is moving toward a jury trial in January.
Melique K. Carter, 19, appeared in court Oct. 11 and had his jury trial scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Jan. 7, according to San Benito County Superior Court records. His trial confirmation is set for Dec. 20.
The other suspect, Annalisia F. Kapisi, 19, pleaded no contest to a felony charge of buying or receiving stolen property, with a felony grand theft charge dropped. At a Thursday sentencing hearing, Judge Steven Sanders issued a sentence of 212 days in county jail that includes time already served since her July arrest. Represented by public defender Harry Damkar, she also received three years of formal probation and was ordered to pay $926, according to records.
The two suspects are both from Vallejo and were arrested in connection with the July 5 pharmaceutical theft from the Hollister Safeway.
Carter and Kapisi were initially charged by the D.A. on suspicion of grand theft and receiving/selling stolen property, both felonies, for the incident in Hollister. The grand theft charge carries a prison sentence of up to three years.
According to a description from the Hollister Police Department released after the arrests:
On the night of July 5, Hollister police received a report that a theft had just occurred at Safeway, 591 Tres Pinos Road. The reporting party provided a description of the two suspects, a vehicle description and the last direction of travel. While responding to the call, Officer Masso located a vehicle matching the given description leaving the area occupied by two individuals matching the description of the suspects.
Officer Masso made a traffic stop on the vehicle on Hillcrest Road and contacted 2 suspects, Melique Carter (19) and Annalisia Kapisi (18) from Vallejo, California. Officer Masso found several boxes of over-the-counter medications and other items in the vehicle. Information obtained during the investigation suggests that the two may have traveled from city to city to commit similar thefts.
The recovered stolen property was not only from the theft at the Hollister store. Subsequent investigation revealed items were stolen from the store in Prunedale, CA and a store in Half Moon Bay, CA. The total amount of stolen pharmaceuticals recovered was in excess of $3,300.00. Both Carter and Kapisi are on probation from San Mateo County for prior convictions.
Carter and Kapisi were both arrested without incident and booked on the charges of grand theft and conspiracy to commit a crime.
The Hollister Police Department would like to thank the business employee who called to report the crime in progress and providing accurate and timely information. Our partnership with the community is an essential element regarding crime prevention, the capture of suspects and making Hollister a safer place to live.
