\A Santa Clarita Valley man arrested after deputies suspected him of squatting in a dead woman’s home during a recent fire evacuation pleaded no contest Wednesday.
Andre Tabnak, 45, was arrested Sept. 3, after a Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputy found him in a home that looked like it had forced entry, while the deputy was conducting evacuations for the Ridge Fire on Gorman Post Road on Aug. 7.
Tabnak pleaded no contest in court to a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a weapon, as well as the allegation that he had one prior felony conviction, for a 2011 burglary and fraud case.
Tabnak, who is being held without bail, was remanded to custody after his hearing this week.
Tabnak was seen by a Sheriff’s Station deputy who was evacuating homes in the area, and noticed Tabnak was living in a home where the resident had died not that long ago, according to a detective’s statement in a search-warrant request.
Tabnak said he had permission to be on the property, which the deputy found suspicious because he had known the deceased owner, and Tabnak was not aware she was deceased, according to the sworn affidavit.
He was detained, along with Amber Urdank, who was also charged.
While deputies were conducting a search of the home, deputies reported finding weapons in the home, a large-capacity magazine and an estimated half-pound of methamphetamine, according to court records of the search.
While Tabnak was detained in the back of the patrol car, he escaped from custody and ran from the property, according to a report of the attempted arrest. He was ultimately taken into custody about one month later, according to LASD custody records available online.
Both Tabnak and Urdank, a 37-year-old, were charged with second-degree burglary and receiving a large-capacity magazine, based on the criminal complaint filed Aug. 11 by the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.
Urdank has pleaded not guilty, and she’s due back in court Nov. 18 for a hearing at the San Fernando Courthouse.
Tabnak is being held at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic. He was ordered back to court for sentencing on Dec. 2. The terms of his deal were not listed in the minute order for Wednesday’s hearing.
The Ridge Fire burned a total of 1,134 acres before it was declared 100% contained on Aug. 12.
