A Santa Clarita Valley woman charged with looting property from million-dollar homes devastated by brush fires earlier this year is due in court Friday to schedule a preliminary hearing.
California Highway Patrol officers arrested Karen Ann Holdych, aka “Karen Mastey,” 54, of Valencia, on Feb. 21, according to a statement from Carlos Burgos-Lopez, a spokesman for the CHP’s Newhall-area Office.
The officers who arrested Holdych were working “to actively focus on recovery efforts for the Pacific Palisades community to those affected by the fire through support and resources,” according to Burgos-Lopez’s statement.
An informant reported that someone matching Holdych’s description was seen looting from homes in the Pacific Palisades around 1 p.m., according to the CHP’s statement.
“Officers determined the vehicle was registered to an address in Valencia and subsequently requested assistance from CHP Newhall officers to respond to the address,” according to the CHP’s news release.
The officers located the suspect and found she was in possession of antique items stolen from the residence and took her into custody, the release added.
Holdych was initially arrested on suspicion of grand theft.
At her bail computation hearing in May, those charges were listed as a pair of felonies: “looting during emergency or evacuations: grand theft”; and “unauthorized entry of closed disaster area.”
The complaint also states a special allegation that the victim was particularly vulnerable, due to the wildfires.
She ultimately was released on $75,000 bail.
At a preliminary hearing, a judge hears the prosecution’s case, any affirmative defense, and then determines whether there’s enough potential evidence to prove guilt at a trial.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman issued a statement shortly after the wildfire, not long after his swearing in, whereby he committed to “maximum penalties” for anyone caught looting during the fires.
“While the community rallies to support one another, we are also aware of the individuals who are targeting vulnerable victims to preying on this misfortune, seeking to exploit the vulnerability of those who have already endured so much,” Hochman said in the video, shot amid the devastation in the Palisades. “Let it be clearly known that those who seek to illegally profit from the pain and suffering of others — whether through looting, fraud, theft, burglary, or any other form of criminal activity — will not go unpunished. We will identify, arrest, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law, and you will face the maximum penalties for your actions.”
