NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — A judge reduced a felony petty theft charge to a misdemeanor over the prosecution’s objection Friday at the Newport Beach Harbor Justice Center, rejecting the District Attorney’s request to pursue the more serious offense despite the accused’s prior theft-related convictions. The accused was charged with committing petty theft on July 21 and had two prior theft-related convictions from November 2013. Judge Johnson reduced the felony petty theft charge filed by Deputy District Attorney Ashley Fan to a misdemeanor, overruling the prosecution’s objection that the accused’s criminal history warranted the more serious charge. Following the reduction, Judge Johnson addressed the petty theft misdemeanor, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in Orange County Jail. The court found the accused guilty of petty theft after finding probable cause and determining there was intent to possess the property.