Napa small business thief sentenced to 4 years in state prison

Steven Jose Paulino, 23, pleaded no contest to nine felony counts of second-degree burglary and one felony count of grand theft, in connection with several commercial burglaries in Napa, according to Carlos Villatoro, spokesman for Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley. In addition, Paulino pleaded no contest to resisting arrest, a misdemeanor.

Napa County Superior Court Judge Monique Langhorne on Dec. 29 sentenced the defendant to four years in state prison. Due to time already served in jail, Paulino is likely to remain imprisoned for half of the sentence, or about two more years, said Villatoro.

In addition, Paulino must also pay $14,400 in restitution, plus 10% annual interest, to the businesses he robbed.  

Paulino targeted small Napa businesses or mom-and-pop stores. They included Tacos El Cunado Food Truck, Fairview Market, El Sabor Serrano, MO’s Hot Dogs, Napa Valley Hot Tubs, Squeeze Inn, New York Pizza Kitchen, Round Table Pizza, Foodshed, and Napa Valley Vacuum and Sewing, Villatoro said.

One of Paulino’s crimes was caught on video.

At 5:30 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2023, Paulino stopped in front of MO’s Hot Dogs at the River Park Shopping Center on Imola Avenue. Holding a screwdriver in his right hand, he shattered the front window of MO’s Hot Dogs with two quick backward chops of his arm.

Paulino then kicked and pushed his way through the opening, grabbed the cash register and quickly exited the eatery through the same broken window.

Paulino was arrested on Feb. 2, 2023 and charged with five counts of second-degree commercial burglary. At that time, Napa Police said Paulino could have been responsible for break-ins at as many as 27 other businesses.

Martin Olsen, owner of MO’s Hot Dogs, said that he wishes Paulino had been arrested sooner and kept in jail longer to prevent more robberies.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Napa County adopted an emergency bail “schedule” that allowed some people to be released from jail without bail. That emergency order ended in February 2023.

“I think it’s an injustice to the citizens of Napa,” Olsen said.

Olsen is due $1,903.52 in restitution, but he’s not counting on it. “I probably won’t receive … any money,” he said ruefully.

Cathy Holmes, co-owner of Foodshed, said she was happy that Paulino was convicted. As for the length of the sentence, “I’ll just have to trust that (is) the right amount of time.”

Holmes said Foodshed was robbed at about 11 p.m. one night about a year ago. The break-in was especially frightening “because we had an employee in there working and that had to hide for safety” while Paulino was inside the store. That employee hid in an office area and called the police, according to Holmes.

According to the district attorney’s office, Holmes is eligible for restitution of $770, but she doesn’t know if she will ever receive any money from Paulino.

Jay Bakker, owner of Napa’s Squeeze Inn Hamburgers, said that Paulino caused about $1,500 in damage when he broke into the restaurant last year. And he knows he wasn’t the only victim. “He hit other people multiple times,” Bakker said.

Today, he’s happy that the case has come to a conclusion and hopes justice is served by this sentence. “We’ll see in the long term,” said Bakker.

Paulino is young and “he has a lot of life yet. So maybe he can turn it around,” said Bakker.

Was justice served? “I hope so,” he said.

David Mitchell, owner of Napa Valley Vacuum & Sewing, was robbed twice by Paulino.

Mitchell attended Paulino’s sentencing on Dec. 29 in person. “I wanted to see it finalized and make sure he gets his due for what he’s done,” he said.

This small business owner thinks the four-year punishment is “a little low,” but “hopefully this will be a lesson learned and he will straighten his life out.”

Mitchell said he is eligible to receive $6,291.49 in restitution, “but it’s doubtful that’s going to happen.”

Was justice served? Mitchell hesitated. “As good as it could have been,” he allowed, reluctantly.

Every time he locks up and arms his new security systems, “I think of the burglary. It’s a violation. But I have to let it go.”

“Local business owners have a right to do business in Napa without the fear of being burglarized,” said Colleen McMahan, Napa County deputy district attorney. “The Napa County District Attorney’s Office will continue to hold individuals accountable for committing burglaries and negatively impacting our quality of life.”

As of this past week, Paulino remained at the Napa County jail awaiting transport to the North Kern State Prison reception center in Delano.