One of the man is already serving a five-year prison sentence for previous burglary crimes, records indicate.
SAN ANTONIO — Two San Antonio men are facing charges months after allegedly breaking into Bath and Body Works on back-to-back days and making off with more than $11,000 in stolen merchandise.
According to online court records, 40-year-old Jose Enrique Medina had just started a prison sentence for other burglary crimes when investigators connected him to those Bath and Body Works break-ins that happened in May. His criminal history goes back over a decade, and includes previous 12 and 14-month sentences for burglary.
Medina went a few years without additional arrests, records state, until a string of burglary incidents this year starting on April 23. He pleaded no contest to those crimes earlier this month and was sentenced to five years behind bars due to being a repeat offender.
The other suspect, 23-year-old Abel Hernandez, didn’t have a documented criminal history in Bexar County before alleged burglary incidents between May 10 and May 15. Two of those were the alleged burglaries at Bath and Body Works, when the pair allegedly used a hammer to break into the store, carried in a “gray storage bin” and filled it with items before leaving, arrest records state.
On May 14, they allegedly made off with $6,728 dollars in products. The following day, authorities say they stole $4,735.95 in goods. It’s unclear if the same Bath and Body Works was targeted both times, but the suspects’ vehicle was captured leaving the seen on surveillance footage.
Records state the pair are believed to be “involved (in) multiple other burglary cases throughout the city.”
While records indicate Medina is already behind bars, Hernandez has bonds totaling $20,000 for his latest crimes. He remains behind bars as of Thursday afternoon.