Oquendo Sentenced For Copper Thefts

A Huron man, arrested in January for stealing copper and scrap iron will spend four years in the State Penitentiary, thinking about his crime. Forty-one year old Jose Ramon Oquendo reached a plea deal with the Beadle County States Attorney’s office that has him pleading guilty to two of eight charges filed against him. He was accused of stealing copper plumbing and fixtures from Huron city parks and construction sites around the city at the beginning of the year. Beadle County Deputy States Attorney Dan Nelson told the court Oquendo has five previous felonies and that he has made a career out of being a criminal. Nelson called Oquendo a “menace to Huron and Beadle County” and that he was beyond rehabilitation. In his defense Oquendo said he’s sorry and would never do it again. He said he wanted to prove he could get a job and support his children. Judge Jon Erickson said in court Oquendo owes nearly $50-thousand dollars in restitution for the thefts and child support. Erickson told Oquendo he would never be able to pay all the money back. Oquendo was ordered to pay back over 32-thousand dollars in restitution for the stolen copper and iron. He was given two years in prison with credit for 77 days on one charge and four years in prison on the second with the sentences to run concurrently.