By Natalia Claburn
SACRAMENTO, CA – Tracy Lunsford has been sentenced to seven years and four months in state prison here at Sacramento County Superior Court late last week after being arrested for a fourth attempt at car theft.
From 2015 to 2020, Lunsford has committed four separate counts of car theft, with one of those incidents also involving carjacking as well.
Deputy District Attorney Kristin Hayes explained to the courtroom that on Sept. 15, 2015, Lunsford had committed “the crime of carjacking.” No information was revealed concerning how Lunsford was identified as the perpetrator nor what Lunsford did during the encounter with victim #1.
It was on Jan. 8, 2016, that the defendant was convicted of this “serious felony,” which Judge Marlette considered to be “a strike offense” because of Lunsford’s previous convictions.
Then, on Sept. 9, 2019, the defendant “drove victim #2’s 2004 chevy trailblazer…without the permission of victim #2” described DDA Hayes. The defendant stole the vehicle the day before and was identified as “the person caught on surveillance stealing the vehicle.”
DDA Hayes said the defendant’s previous two car theft convictions were “applicable to the two following cases that [she would] be giving a factual basis for as well.”
The two most recent cases both occurred in 2020. DDA Hayes stated that between Sept. 24 and 25 of 2020, Lunsford “took victim #3’s 2006 BMW…without victim #3’s permission…and [the defendant] had intended to permanently deprive victim #3 of the vehicle.”
The following day, “victim #3 observed the defendant stripping parts off of his vehicle” and recognized the defendant as the thief, whom he had seen right before his car had been stolen the day before.
DDA Hayes stated that the defendant’s final offense occurred on Oct. 12, 2020. On that day, Lunsford “broke into the vehicle of victim #4 while the doors of the vehicle were locked, breaking the front passenger window and reaching through the broken window to open the door of the vehicle.”
Lunsford proceeded to steal numerous items from the car, including “a blue yoga mat,” explained DDA Hayes. The defendant was later discovered to be the thief through DNA testing of the blood on the shattered glass that had fallen inside of the car.
Based on Lunsford’s decision to steal two cars in under one month apart while being previously convicted of a felony car theft, DDA Hayes and Lunsford’s assigned attorney, Assistant Public Defender Guy Danilowitz, were both aware of the people’s deal when the hearing began.
The maximum time for these offenses can be up to 11 years in state prison, explained Judge Marlette. However, by pleading guilty to all counts and admitting to his prior convictions, Lunsford was sentenced to seven years and four months in state prison, his time being served concurrently.
The possibility of probation was denied due to the defendant’s prior convictions, and Judge Marlette stated that even if the defendant was eligible, he “would not grant probation because of the facts and circumstances of each of these cases and your prior criminal history.”
Lunsford is also ordered to pay “a $350 restitution fine” to three out of the four victims, with restitution waived for victim #1 as a part of the plea deal.
The defendant will return for a restitution hearing on Aug. 19. Lunsford is being held without bail until his upcoming restitution hearing.
