By Angelina Caplanis
WOODLAND — Motive was not disclosed here in Yolo County Superior Court of why a man would use a pest control vehicle as his personal batting cage and art canvas, but he will be standing trial for the vandalism, in any case.
In a preliminary hearing late last week, Raymond John Riolo was accused of vandalism after he allegedly spray-painted and broke car windows of a Pest Control Operators of California (PCOC) vehicle in West Sacramento on Feb. 27, 2020.
The West Sacramento Police Department had received a call about a man breaking vehicle windows. The man was suspected of using either a baseball bat or a long metal rod.
Officer Louis Esway was dispatched to the location around 10 a.m., and observed Riolo using what appeared to be a long metal rod to punch through the driver’s side window and break the window of a PCOC car.
Riolo complied with officer commands and was immediately apprehended.
Officer Esway also observed that Riolo had spray-painted the PCOC vehicle using green spray paint, but did not indicate whether Riolo wrote anything specific on the car.
With the exception of Judge David Reed and Riolo, who were present in court, all parties appeared via Zoom for the preliminary hearing.
Despite Riolo standing five feet away from a blurry courtroom camera, Esway identified Riolo as the man he saw on Feb. 27, and as the man identified by the reporting party, Chris Reardon.
Reardon, the Executive Vice President of PCOC, estimated the damage done to the windshield and driver’s window to be at $2,500.
According to Esway, Reardon did not know Riolo by name, but had recognized Riolo as someone who had been in the area before.
When Deputy Public Defender Richard van Zandt cross-examined Esway, the officer admitted he never obtained a statement from Riolo after arresting him on Feb. 27. Esway said Riolo did not indicate whether he understood his Miranda rights and refused to answer any questions.
The judge found sufficient evidence that Riolo had committed a violation of California Penal Code section 594, vandalism. The case is set to reconvene for arraignment for trial on July 2 in Department 7 at 9 a.m.
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I wonder if he was just a black lives matter protester that got slightly confused.