Local Gangster Gets Puny Sentence for $12K Burglary

One known Norteño gang members from Menlo Park were sentenced for his part in a March residential burglary on Wednesday.

Victor Eugene Bell, 19, and Rafael Ramirez, 20, pled no contest to felony burglary and admitted their gang status in June. 

Ramirez, who could have seen up to two years in prison, caught a huge break on Wednesday.

The DA's Office reports that he was given nine months in county jail and three years of probation which includes abstaining alcohol and drugs including marijuana, chemical testing, search and seizure, no gang association, no firearms and genetic marker testing. He was also ordered to pay about $2,000 in fines and $100 per month for the duration of his probation. 

Bell, who faces only up to a year in county jail because he was the lookout and did not enter the house, will be sentenced Thursday.

According to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, Bell, Ramirez, and a 16-year-old boy (also in the gang) took jewelry, cash, an Xbox and an iPad totaling $12,000. At 11:30 that night, they were pulled over by police on Willow Road. Police smelled and saw marijuana in the car along with the stolen property.

Bell has been in custody since the arrest and could earn plenty of credit for time served.