Man Who Broke Into Los Angeles Mayor’s Home Is Sentenced to Drug Treatment
The New York Times
A 29-year-old intruder who smashed a glass door to enter Mayor Karen Bass’s official residence pleaded no contest to a vandalism charge.
A man who broke into the Los Angeles home of Mayor Karen Bass in April pleaded no contest on Wednesday to a vandalism charge and was immediately sentenced to probation and drug treatment, and ordered to pay restitution.
Prosecutors said that the man, Ephraim Matthew Hunter, 29, smashed a glass back door to get into the mayor’s official residence at about 6:40 a.m. on April 21. The authorities said he cut his hand and left blood stains throughout the house, which is in a quiet neighborhood of old homes in the center of the city.
Ms. Bass, her daughter, son-in-law and grandchild were inside the home at the time. None of them were injured. Police officials at the time acknowledged that the break-in occurred during a gap in security and vowed to correct it.
Mr. Hunter was at first charged with first-degree residential burglary and vandalism, and faced 13 years in prison. But as part of a plea deal, he pleaded no contest to only the lesser vandalism charge, did not receive prison time and was sentenced to probation.
In order to avoid the prison sentence, of three years, he must complete a year of drug treatment, three months of which must be in a residential program. He was also ordered to pay roughly $15,800.
At the time, the break-in reinforced concerns of political violence against public officials in a deeply divided nation. In 2022, a man broke into the San Francisco home of Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, and demanded to see her before beating her husband with a hammer. The man, David DePape, was convicted on federal and state charges.
