Case of Interest: People v. Brown, Moore, Templeton

District Attorney Jan Scully announced today that the defendants Steven Brown (age 24), Martin Moore (age 23), and Chad Templeton (age 33) pled no-contest for their involvement in stealing pianos from Larrick Piano and Organ store.
Defendants Brown and Moore were former employees who through their employment gained an understanding of the business inventory tracking system. Using this knowledge, the defendants were able to steal 13 pianos from Larrick Piano and Organ’s warehouse over a several month period in 2003. The defendants then sold the stolen pianos to unsuspecting individuals. When Larrick Piano and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s department learned of the thefts and confronted the defendants, the defendants all admitted to the thefts and defendants Brown and Moore helped locate the previously stolen pianos.

Defendants Brown and Moore pled no-contest to Penal Code section 487(a), grand theft and may be sentenced up to 16 months in prison. Defendant Templeton pled no-contest to Penal Code section 32, being an accessory to the thefts, for his involvement in 3 of the stolen pianos, and may receive up to 5 months jail time.
The defendants will be sentenced on August 5, 2005, at 8:30 a.m. in Department 4 of the Superior Court. Each of the defendants will be ordered to repay Larrick Piano and Organ for the business loss.

Deputy District Attorney Ross Huggins, who prosecuted this case, said, “The large-scale theft of so many pianos is certainly unusual. The arrests and prosecution of these defendants is due in large measure to the investigation and tenacity of Sacramento County Sheriff Deputy Kelly Clark.”