Man accused of breaking into Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ home pleads no contest to felony vandalism and avoids prison time
Ephraim Hunter was charged with burglary and vandalism in connection with the April break-in. The mayor and her family were inside the home at the time.
“Mr. Hunter is pleased with the resolution. He is looking forward to working hard in recovery, turning his life around, and becoming a success story,” Hunter’s attorney, Howard Stern, said.
Hunter was accused of entering the home by smashing a rear glass door, causing somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 worth of damage, the district attorney’s office said in a news release shortly after the incident. His hand was cut during the ordeal, leaving “blood stains throughout the house,” the release read.
No one in Bass’family was harmed, a spokesperson for the Democratic mayor said after the incident.
As part of a plea agreement, Hunter entered a no contest plea and was given two years of probation. He was ordered to stay away from the mayor’s work and home addresses, as well as the mayor’s family members, for three years, according to the district attorney’s office.
He was also ordered to pay more than $15,700 in restitution, attend a drug abuse and mental health treatment program for several months and eventually live in a halfway house, officials said.
Hunter had told a local radio station he was on a drug binge at the time of the break-in and was not targeting Bass.
The mayor’s official residence, the Getty House, is a nondescript Tudor-style home that sits on a corner in the Windsor Square neighborhood and fits seamlessly into its lineup of historic mansions.
Bass, who is traveling to Paris with first lady Jill Biden for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, did not have a comment on the plea entry, her communications office said in an email to CNN.
Hunter expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to recover and change his life, stating that he aims to become a success story "for us" in the future. Despite being charged with burglary and vandalism, Hunter assured that he was not specifically targeting the mayor during his drug binge.
