21-year-old Jonathan Lyle Donawa was given Weekend Work Program community hours after he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges under PC 484/487 (B)(3), grand theft by an employee, in which Donawa had taken more than $6,392.00 in merchandise from a Best Buy Store located at 63 Ranch Ave in Milpitas.
Milpitas Police were contacted by an Asset Protection Manager, who reported suspicious transactions of four iPhones that had been marked down from $799.00 to $0.00. However, in each transaction sales tax was paid on the items purchased, in the amount of $334.89. Another transaction was reported for only $14.95. Donawa was the one getting special treatment by an employee at Best Buy. It was found that co-defendant Terrence Merent Hartley had given Donawa the unauthorized discount.
Hartley had admitted to police that he had marked down eight cell phones for Donawa at the register, and that they were in fact friends. Hartley was arrested by Milpitas police and taken to the Santa Clara County Main Jail for booking. Milpitas police then went to Donawa’s residence and were able to locate the cell phones.
Donawa had successfully completed his sentence for the iPhone theft. However, Donawa was re-arrested for a violation of his probation when he was found to be intoxicated on Tuesday, July 8. The arraignment and sentencing for the probation violation was held on August 21 in Dept. 24. The new sentence assigns Donawa to work in the Weekend Work Program for a total of 45 days.
