Serial thief gets 13 years in prison

QUINCY — A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to 145 months, or just under 13 years in state prison, for breaking into a number of cars, stealing valuables and debit cards before racking up hundreds of dollars in fraudulent charges.

Adrian Roman Tapia pleaded guilty last week to five counts of first-degree identity fraud and two counts of second-degree burglary, all of which are class B felonies and were committed over the course of five months. The court chose not to pursue the full standard sentencing range against Tapia, which carried a maximum penalty of more than 27 years.

Tapia had a known history of vehicle prowls before the events leading up to his arrest, police logs show. An arrest warrant had been out for Tapia since June 2018, police wrote in court documents.

Police had responded to a number of car prowl incidents involving Tapia for more than half a year before arresting him near Quincy, police logs show. In one instance, Tapia reportedly broke in through the driver’s side window and stole a purse containing multiple debit cards and insurance cards for the owner’s children.

Tapia had been caught on surveillance footage buying electronics, food, candy, cigarettes and other items with the various cards he had stolen from businesses in Ephrata. In one instance, Tapia attempted to buy a tablet from the local Walmart, only to discover that the card he was using had a limit that couldn’t completely cover the purchase before he grabbed the device and ran out of the store. As Tapia had been previously trespassed from the establishment, his theft constituted a burglary offense.

Tapia had been convicted once before for residential burglary in 2014, and was tried as a juvenile at the time. After Tapia completes his 145-month prison sentence, he will serve another 145 months in community custody.