By Mathew Seibert
RIVERSIDE, CA – Luis Espinosa, charged with grand theft and taking a vehicle—and not just any vehicle—without the owner’s consent, is facing a felony trial after his preliminary hearing in Riverside County Superior Court this week.
According to the police witness and court reports, a company employee said he was “approached by a subject who asked for a set of keys for a company tractor who was wearing a construction hard hat and company vest.”
Deputy District Attorney Veronica Mittino brought the reporting officer as a witness to the stand, who testified, “On the subject’s way out of the construction zone, he was approached by another employee who called (the site) supervisor.”
The site supervisor attempted to follow the suspect with the police officer to identify the stolen tractor. 
Arresting Deputy Matthew Foucher was asked what happened on July 12, 2017, and he explained, “I was informed there was a stolen orange tractor traveling north through the hills. Once I came in contact with the vehicle I conducted a vehicle stop and identified the driver as Luis Espinosa.”
Espinosa told the officer “an employee from the construction site let him borrow the tractor because he did not want to walk to the freeway.”
This alleged worker told Espinosa that he needed a vest in order to drive the tractor so the worker gave him a company vest.
Deputy Foucher then arrested Espinosa and he was later charged with grand theft, to which he pleaded not guilty.
The case will return Feb. 25 for an arraignment prior to trial-setting.
