Court appoints hearing dates for SCV cases
Several court cases with ties to the Santa Clarita Valley were continued in court this week, despite recent sweeping changes to the Los Angeles County criminal justice system.
The cases involved an alleged vandalism that was posted to Tik Tok, a local arson suspect and a domestic violence allegation involving a pregnant woman.
On Monday, District Attorney George Gascon announced his intention to reevaluate how his office would prosecute nonviolence offenses, such as vandalism, and would no longer consider previous offenses in future charges, which could potentially impact a recent arson investigation.
It’s unclear, at this early stage, how or when the new directives would impact the process for existing prosecution. When announced, the measures took effect Tuesday.
Six Flags Magic Mountain vandalism
Three teenagers — Riley Birchfield, Dylan Godoy and Tim Kempler — who stand accused of breaking into and vandalizing the local theme park during the recent shutdown were back in court this week.
All three are suspected in the case involving young adults who entered the observation tower at the park after dark, discharged a fire extinguisher and then posted a brief video of the incident on the social media app Tik Tok.
They’re due back in court Jan. 20 to set a date for their preliminary hearing, according to the D.A.’s Office. At a preliminary hearing, a judge weighs the evidence and decides if there’s enough to merit trial.
Arson in Newhall
A Newhall woman accused of stealing a car and setting a fire while on probation pleaded not guilty in court at her preliminary arraignment. She’s due back in court Jan. 15 to set a date for her preliminary hearing.
Maria Herrera, 28, was charged with one felony count each of driving or taking a vehicle without consent (a 2016 Prius owned by UCLA); and arson of a structure or forest, according to an email Tuesday from Ricardo Santiago, spokesman for the D.A.’s Office. “The charges include allegations that she was out on bail or on her own recognizance when the crimes occurred and that she was convicted of robbery in 2014.”
The fire she’s accused of starting was reported at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, but firefighters stopped forward progress on the blaze about seven minutes later, after the fire had grown to about 2 acres, according to fire officials.
DV allegation in Canyon Country
A South Los Angeles man accused of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend had his case continued this week until Jan. 28.
Alvin Marks, 30, was arrested by SCV deputies on the 27000 block of Sierra Highway on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with detectives’ investigation. The charges were later reduced to assault. His girlfriend was reportedly nine weeks’ pregnant at the time of the alleged attack.
He’s due back in court to set a date for his preliminary hearing.