Colusa County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey A. Thompson on Monday said a Colusa man who has spent most of his adult life in and out of prison shows no remorse for the criminal life he has chosen.
Thompson sentenced 29-year-old Nickolas Roberto Rojas to 25 years to life after a jury convicted him of burglary of an inhabited building, with enhancement under California’s Three Strikes Law, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Rojas, an admitted member of the Sioc Street Norteños, has six prior violent felonies as an adult, and was on parole for his part in the 2019 robbery and attack on a fellow gang member for getting an “unsanctioned” tattoo, when he was arrested on Sept. 22, 2022, for breaking into a home on Colusa Street in Maxwell and stealing multiple firearms, including a pump action shotgun and a rifle.
Officials said Rojas also stole an electronic tablet with banking information, which was used to purchase several items on ebay, including Nike Air Jordan shoes.
Rojas was charged for the Sept. 16 burglary after Colusa County Sheriff’s Officials identified the vehicle and the driver from video footage taken with a home surveillance camera belonging to a neighbor.
Rojas’ girlfriend, Yidera Grejeda, who had only known Rojas a few months, admitted driving him to the location, and that he carried “something” from the home and placed it in the trunk of her car.
Grejeda was given immunity for her testimony.
Rojas has been in trouble most of his life and had a violent felony conviction as a juvenile that was used as a “First Strike,” for a 2014 felony conviction.
In 2019, Rojas was arrested for leading a Colusa police officer on a high speed pursuit on Main Street and crashing head on into a California Highway Patrol vehicle, according to previous reports.
Four months later, Rojas was arrested for the beating and robbery of Floyd Harbele, and spent one year in Colusa County Jail awaiting trial during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Rojas eventually took a plea deal for a single robbery charge, on the second day of trial, after a juror came down with severe symptoms.
Rojas was sentenced in 2020 to five years in prison for violating the terms of his parole.
Because Rojas refused to cooperate with Proposition 63 requirements to relinquish any firearm in his possession or under his control in connection with his most recent crime, Thompson, on Monday, authorized the Colusa County Probation Department to execute a search warrant of his home and vehicle.
Because inmates receive one day credit for every day they serve, Rojas will be given 254 days off his sentence. ■