Recipes Stolen From San Francisco Bakery (CA Penal Code 487)

Police assigned to the robbery of this Tenderloin bakery remain stumped.  The owner of Mr. Holmes Bake house woke one day to a call from an employee alerting him to the fact that their binders full of recipes had been completely emptied.  This case, as it turns out, is just as unique as the now famous Mr. Holmes Bake house ‘Cruffin’ an in-house made mixture of a croissant and a muffin.  Local law enforcement plan to treat the crime just as they would handle any other theft, especially considering that the recipes are valuable intellectual property.  For those of you who live in the Bay area who are concerned that Mr. Holmes Bake house will no longer be able to operate, don’t worry, pastry chef Ry Stephen and his business partner Aaron Caddel say that they still retain backup copies of all the recipes and will be able to continue to conduct business.

In California, theft of items or property valued at less than $950 is considered ‘petty theft;’ the theft of items valued over $950 is considered ‘grand theft’ (CA Penal Code 487)  So, depending on the estimated value of the recipes, whoever stole them could find themselves in a pretty big legal pickle (CA Penal Code 484).  Petty theft is considered a misdemeanor in California and those convicted on such a charge could face up to 6 months in county jail and a maximum $1,000 fine.  In this particular case, depending on how the recipes were actually acquired, burglary charges could also apply and these could mean more serious penalties and fines.