Convicted Car Burglar Gets 3-Year Max for Breaking Into Judge's Car Near Courthouse
A convicted car burglar who last month broke into the vehicle of the California judge who had just given him a sentencing break got the maximum term this time around.
However, even with a three-year sentence he got from visiting Santa Clara County Judge Leslie Nichols, the defendant, 32-year-old Phillip Bernard, likely will serve only about eight months, prosecutor Omid Talai told the San Francisco Chronicle (scroll down).
Bernard, who pleaded guilty Friday in Superior Court, also had his probation revoked by Nichols and was ordered to pay Judge Lillian Sing restitution of $250 for smashing her car window in an alley near the courthouse almost immediately after she finished hearing his San Francisco Community Court case.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Convicted Car Burglar Given a Break Exits Court and Smashes Window of Judge’s Vehicle, Police Say”
