Called “one man crime wave” by judge, J. Tucker Bellegante sentenced to more than 10 years

September 18, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

SHASTA COUNTY, Calif., — Described by a Shasta County judge as a “one man crime wave” during a sentencing hearing yesterday, a local man, J. Tucker Bellegante, was ordered to serve a maximum of ten years and four months in state prison in one of several open and active felony cases he was facing. Bellegante also pleaded to a number of other open cases against him, according to the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office.

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Bellegante, who has a lengthy criminal history and is currently part of the DA’s Chronic Offender Accountability Program (COAP), was found guilty by a Shasta County jury on Aug. 4th of first-degree residential burglary – a serious felony/strike offense, as well as felony vandalism and theft.

The charges stemmed from a December, 2020 case in which he was alleged to have driven a stolen pickup truck onto a McArthur property and used the truck to tear open a door into an attached garage of a residence. He then stole tools from inside the garage.

Called a “one man crime wave” by a Shasta County judge at his sentencing yesterday, J. Tucker Bellegante was ordered to serve a maximum of ten years and four months in state prison. Shasta County DA’s Office photo

During the burglary, Bellegante attempted to destroy evidence of his crime, stealing a game camera mounted on a tree. However, he failed to notice a second game camera that captured photographs of the incident which were later used against him during his trial.

Facing the Honorable Judge Stephen H. Baker in Department 3 of the Shasta County Superior Court, after being found guilty in that case Bellegante pleaded to all the remaining cases against him, including charges for three stolen vehicles, being a felon in possession of a firearm, being a felon in possession of ammunition, and obstructing/delaying police officers.

“We would like to thank the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, and the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office for their involvement in the investigation, identification, and apprehension of Bellegante,” the DA’s Office said after Bellegante’s sentencing.

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In an unrelated case, another man on the DA’s COAP was arrested yesterday morning in Anderson. The man, 52-year-old Kyle Richard Sims, was wanted on twelve outstanding felony warrants and is facing more than twenty years in prison. He remains in custody where he is being held without bail.

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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.