After a closed session discussion Tuesday evening, the Santa Clarita City Council authorized the takeover of a property on Plumwood Avenue in Canyon Country due to problems with an ongoing code-enforcement case, according to city officials.
Community Preservation Manager Tracy Sullivan acknowledged Wednesday the action against 27442 Plumwood Ave. was a significant step for the city to take, but one taken due to the severity of the case.
“What the City Council authorized was for the city to seek the appointment of a receiver,” Sullivan said, describing the receiver as a “third-party entity approved by a judge that would take possession of the property and remediate the violations.”
Essentially, if the city’s plan is approved by the court, a judge would allow the third party to take possession temporarily to remediate the property. City Attorney Joe Montes labeled it a “final nuisance abatement action” in his report out of closed session.
Once the property is remediated, the property owner will get his property returned, but the cost of the property’s remediation becomes attached to it in the form of a lien for which the owner is responsible, Sullivan said.
Whether the property owner, 65-year-old Carl Pruett, would be able to stay in the property during the remediation process would likely be up to the presiding judge, according to officials. Pruett is currently in L.A. County Sheriff’s Department custody.
The property was covered in trash Wednesday afternoon as a dust-covered black Toyota 4Runner was being towed from the front yard, and about a half-dozen notices could be seen posted to the front door with blue painters’ tape.
A person who identified himself as a member of the family and asked not to be identified said the family was working to clean up the property. He said he was not aware of the council’s announcement.
The city and Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station have reported numerous problems at the property, which is still owned by Pruett as of Wednesday afternoon, according to L.A. County Assessor’s Office records.
In February, he had a lengthy standoff with local law enforcement officers that ultimately was ended by the Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau — the LASD’s SWAT team.
Pruett is due back in court in July, but he’s currently being held at Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Downtown Los Angeles. He’s awaiting a mental health evaluation after his attorney raised a question about his mental competency.
Pruett left his home across the street from Canyon Springs Community Elementary School armed with a black-handled machete fitted with a rusted 24-inch metal blade, according to sworn statements in court records obtained by The Signal.
Deputies reported that Pruett exited the property and walked toward deputies while “screaming incoherently and waving the machete at deputies while ignoring orders to stop,” in the court report.
After deputies deployed their Taser on Pruett, he went back into the home and barricaded himself inside, according to a statement from a station detective in court records.
Pruett’s action led to a nearly six-hour standoff that also resulted in the evacuation of several nearby homes.
Cindy Kowalczyk, who runs a licensed child care facility in her home across the street from Canyon Springs, said it was a relief that the city was taking action on the property, even though she said she had compassion for the man.
She frequently sees him riding his bicycle shirtless up and down the street and his erratic behavior leaves her worried for everyone’s safety. She hopes he’s able to get help, she added.
In the aftermath of the standoff, neighbors said Pruett was a widower, describing him as somewhat of a recluse. The yard at the Plumwood home was lined with shopping carts at the time.
One of his children, a Canyon High School student at the time, died from a heart attack while jogging in 2009. Pruett has had several run-ins with local law enforcement in recent years, according to Sheriff’s Department records available online.
At his arraignment for the Feb. 1 standoff, Pruett pleaded not guilty to three charges: assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer, criminal threats and grand theft — for stealing an iPhone in an unrelated incident.
The complaint against Pruett also accuses him of “circumstances in aggravation” as separate allegations, including an accusation Pruett used a weapon at the times of the offenses and that he has previously served time for a violation that included a diversionary sentence.
Pruett is due back in court July 2, when his evaluation is expected to be discussed during a special hearing in Department 213, what’s known as a Mental Health court in Hollywood.
He’s being held in lieu of $170,000 bail, according to LASD custody records available online.
