Teen Rejects Plea Offer, Faces 6-Year Sentence For Vacaville Jewelry Heist
After the first of five suspects authorities deemed responsible for robbing a Vacaville jewelry store in 2012 underwent a weeklong trial of his case, a Solano County jury then found him guilty December 17.
After his conviction, Jacobi A. Sanford, 18, was jailed without bail; he’ll be sentenced in January. Before the trial, Sanford had rejected a two-year sentence offered during plea bargaining by the prosecution. He now could receive a maximum six-year prison sentence, said deputy district attorney Courtney Anderson, who prosecuted the case.
Sanford and four other suspects in the case—Tishan Lowe, Philip K. Meredith, Adrian M. Landers III and Derrick D. McCann Jr.—did a takeover smash-and-grab robbery of the DeBartolo & Company jewelry store in downtown Vacaville in broad daylight on August 30. The thieves took off with $500,000 worth of high-end pricey watches and other major bling.
At trial, one of the first responding police officers to arrive at the scene of the crime, Sergeant Jeffrey King (now retired), testified that a witness gave him a good description of the getaway car and a license plate number. King broadcast that information over his radio to local police agencies. Within minutes, a Vacaville cop caught sight of the getaway car speeding west on Interstate 80 toward the Bay Area. The cop radioed for help and was quickly joined by another Vacaville police officer and CHP. They stopped the getaway car.
During the trial, jurors watched a video recorded from a CHP helicopter that showed Sanford and two companions removed at gunpoint by officers from a black Dodge Charger later identified as the getaway vehicle. Except for Tishan Lowe, the rest of the suspects, two of whom were apprehended after the I-80 traffic stop, face trials of their own. Lowe took a two-year sentence in a plea deal with prosecutors.
