A Solano County Superior Court jury has been seated in a felony trial of a homeless man accused of home invasion robbery.
Lewis Arvelle King, 41, of Vallejo was once arrested for trying to set another homeless man on fire, however, that case has since been dropped.
Now the specific charge is burglary with people present — home invasion robbery.
Thursday, the attorneys in the case had witnesses use markers on photocopies to indicate where they stood when they saw King.
“I stopped Mr. King. I took him to be identified by the Sanchez,” said Fairfield Police Officer Dan Datzell, who made the original arrest.
Deputy District Attorney Susan Rader and Deputy Public Defender Tamani Taylor vigorously pursued the truth in a full day of testimony. But perhaps the most impressive testimony was spoken outside the range of the jury’s hearing. That testimony came from the family.
Brother and sister, Herriberto and Jessica Sanchez sat holding hands in the courthouse lobby. Herriberto Sanchez had a pained look on his face.
“I didn’t want this big thing,” he said. “He didn’t take anything important.”
“We were moving,” Jessica Sanchez added. “We had taken almost everything away. Now my brother had to miss a day at work. “This poor guy . . .,” her voice trailed off.