OROVILLE — A man faces three years in county jail after pleading no contest Thursday to stealing a recreational vehicle from a home in Magalia evacuated due to the Camp Fire, according to a press release from the Butte County District Attorney’s Office.
Shayne Storm Tinnel Jr., 22, of Magalia, entered the plea in Butte County Superior Court.
According the the release, a former owner of the RV sighted Tinnel with it on Nov. 12 in Oroville. He called the man to whom he had sold it, who said the vehicle had been left in his driveway when he fled the fire.
The possible theft was reported to the California Highway Patrol, which confirmed the vehicle was missing from the owner’s driveway.
A Butte County Sheriff’s deputy spotted the stolen RV the next day in the vicinity of the Walmart in Chico. Tinnel was detained, and arrested after the RV’s ignition was found to have been tampered with.
Deputies also reportedly recovered other suspected stolen property inside the RV including backpack leaf blowers, car batteries and a large, flat-screen TV.
District Attorney Mike Ramsey said his office has a zero-tolerance policy for looters, and those apprehended for such crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.
Tinnel will be sentenced Jan. 3, and remains in custody at the Butte County Jail.
