Citrus Heights man, 21, faces lengthy prison term

A 21-year-old Citrus Heights man who stole two vehicles – and wrecked them both – has pleaded guilty to four felony charges in a Placer County courtroom and faces a maximum state prison sentence of 18 years and four months.

Daniel Joseph Homan entered his plea on May 19 before Placer County Superior Court Judge Larry D. Gaddis, who set the sentencing date for July 9.

Placer County Deputy District Attorney Rick Opich said Homan pleaded out to two counts of residential burglary, one count of possession of a stolen vehicle and one count of fleeing from an officer while driving recklessly.

Opich said the defendant broke into homes on separate occasions in May  2008, took car keys in the burglaries and drove away in the victims’ vehicles.

In one case, Homan abandoned a vehicle taken in Roseville after a solo crash in Citrus Heights, Opich said.

In the other, the defendant took a vehicle in Citrus Heights, was chased into Roseville by a California Highway Patrol officer and crashed in a creek, Opich said. The defendant was caught as he tried to run away, he said.

In addition to pleading to four charges, Homan admitted to having a prior strike and to having a prior serious felony, Opich said. The admissions have enhanced his potential sentence, he said.