FULLERTON, Calif.—A 42-year-old man pleaded guilty on Aug. 31 to multiple break-ins of vehicles and sheds at Cal State Fullerton and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
John Michael Nicely pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary as well as single counts each of grand theft, a count of receiving stolen property, a count of vandalism, and a count of having a dangerous and deadly weapon on campus, all felonies. He also pleaded guilty to single misdemeanor counts each of possession of burglary tools and a controlled substance.
Mr. Nicely was also ordered to do 10 days of Caltrans labor and placed on two years of formal probation.
Co-defendant Ryan Chase Bumgarner, 36, pleaded guilty in March of last year to three counts of burglary and single counts each of grand theft, receiving stolen property, vandalism, and possession of dangerous and deadly weapons on campus, all felonies, as well as misdemeanor counts of possession of burglary tools and possession of a controlled substance. He was also placed on two years of formal probation and sentenced to 82 days in jail.
Cal State Fullerton police officers on patrol spotted a truck full of equipment in a parking facility on campus at 3:48 a.m. on March 3, 2021, and were suspicious, said Cal State Fullerton police Capt. Scot Willey.
When Mr. Bumgarner and Mr. Nicely saw campus police they “took off,” but with help from Fullerton police the two were quickly apprehended, Mr. Willey said.
The duo are “friends who grew up with each other and decided to go smoke meth and go to Cal State Fullerton to steal things,” Mr. Willey said.
Mr. Bumgarner and Mr. Nicely were accused of breaking into vehicles, sheds, and stealing the equipment of plumbers and electricians worth about $5,000, Mr. Willey said.
Police also recovered stolen personal paperwork investigators suspect was being used for identity theft as well as insurance and unemployment fraud, Mr. Willey said.
