A Canyon Country man accused of breaking into his neighbor’s home and threatening to assault her pleaded no contest and was sentenced Monday for one count of first-degree burglary with a person present.
Judge David Walgren sentenced 38-year-old Leonard Floyd Grim to four years in state prison and agreed to a request from the prosecution to require at least 10 years of sex-offender registration for Grim.
He was given credit for 570 days of time served for nearly 500 days he spent in custody and “good time/work time,” according to court records.
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office amended the criminal complaint in April after negotiations with Grim’s attorney over a possible plea deal.
The allegation of a person present makes the crime “a serious and violent felony,” according to Deputy District Attorney Yasmin Fardghassemi in the minute order for the case, which requires a defendant to serve 85% of a sentence.
The prosecution also emphasized the importance of granting a 10-year protective order to keep the defendant from the victim, as their families’ residences share a wall, and they are essentially neighbors.
After the defendant is released, he is not allowed to live at his parents’ place or visit that property.
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials arrested Grim within hours of receiving a 911 call on Feb. 7, 2024, from the 16000 block of Goodvale Street. A woman called 911 at 5:25 a.m. and reported a man had broken in and put his hand over her mouth while he was screaming incoherently, according to station officials at the time.
Grim’s attorney raised doubts about his client’s ability to aid in his defense, with a judge granting Grim a medication order in September. After Grim’s release from medical treatment, he was cleared for trial.
Prosecutors mentioned witness statements and past allegations against Grim in their arguments for 10 years of sex-offender registration.
A 2019 University of Colorado news release identified Grim in video as a trespassing suspect wanted by the campus police department for questioning in an unspecified investigation. They later stated he was arrested on suspicion he accessed a residential area without a keycard and issued a “campus exclusion.”
The court orders issued against Grim at his sentencing also included fines and restitution to be determined at a hearing in July.
