A Santa Clarita Valley man charged with breaking into a Canyon Country home with the intent to commit a sexual assault pleaded no contest to first-degree burglary Monday, according to L.A. County Superior Court records.
Leonard Grim, 38, entered his plea Monday, which was scheduled to be the date of his preliminary hearing after more than a year of pretrial motions that involved claims regarding his mental competency.
“(The) defendant pleaded to the aforementioned count and admitted the person-present allegation for a four-year term, (sex-offender) registration to be decided by the court at sentencing hearing,” according to a statement from Greg Risling, spokesman for the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office, adding there also was a stay-away order for Grim.
Grim was ordered back for a sentencing hearing set in June. He was remanded to custody in Downtown Los Angeles, where he’s resided since shortly after the break-in.
Grim was arrested hours after he broke into a neighbor’s home in the 16000 block of Goodvale Road and stood over her, holding her hand over her mouth, according to the account she gave to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies who responded.
Grim was arrested and booked at the SCV Sheriff’s Station within a few hours not far from where the break-in happened, according to station officials at the time.
He pleaded initially pleaded not guilty to violating California Penal Code section 220(b), which is “any person who assaults another with intent to commit mayhem, rape, sodomy, oral copulation, or any (sexual assault).”
Prosecutors added the second count, first-degree burglary, on the day of the hearing, according to the minute order. Grim also had to acknowledge a special allegation there was someone home during the break-in, making the crime a violent felony and subject to further repercussions under California’s Three Strikes Law.
Monday’s plea in Department D of the San Fernando courthouse ended a yearlong pretrial process due to the challenges by Grim’s counsel.
A pair of evaluations — one from the defense, and another court-ordered — resulted in Grim’s case transfer to mental health court in Hollywood, where Grim ultimately was given a medication order in September. Once Grim was released from care, his case was transferred back to the criminal court system on Dec. 20.
Deputy District Attorney Yasmin Fardghassemi, who prosecuted the case, was not immediately available to comment.
Grim is being held without bail.
