LANCASTER – Two men and a woman, all from Lancaster, entered no contest pleas Wednesday for a string of home burglaries in Palmdale from October 2014 to January 2015, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Dean Bailey Johnson, 26, pleaded no contest to three counts of first-degree burglary and admitted a prior strike conviction for criminal threats. He was immediately sentenced to 17 years and four months in state prison.
Johnson’s 19-year-old sister, Artavia Montrella Eaton, entered no contest pleas to two counts of first-degree residential burglary and was sentenced to three years and four months in state prison.
And 27-year-old Keith Thomas Martin pleaded no contest to one count of residential first-degree burglary, admitted a prior strike conviction for first-degree burglary, and was sentenced to 12 years in state prison.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Steven Mac.
According to the evidence presented at the preliminary hearing, five homes were burglarized by the defendants beginning on Oct. 24, 2015.
The three were arrested on Jan. 11, 2015, after an off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy saw a truck parked in an open field and witnessed two of the defendants climbing over an adjacent fence into the yard of a residential home, the prosecutor said.
Johnson, Eaton, and Martin were later seen jumping out of a window and were arrested when they attempted to run away, the prosecutor added. A search of Johnson and Eaton’s home turned up stolen property and cell phone photos and videos relating to the other four residential home burglaries, according to the evidence presented at the preliminary hearing.
The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Lancaster Station.
–
Tyrone says
My salute to all law enforcement officers, thank you for serving this community and keep us safe
JJ says
To answer a few comments made above which I usually avoid, I would definitely do the same thing again if I saw it today. I do this because I care for the people in this community and I hate burglars.
Mark says
Such a good man!! Thanks for all you do!!
Jenny says
Thank you for your hard work and dedication. Our community is lucky to have you.
White lives matter says
Good by loosers don’t come back to the AV when you get out of jail
Shane Falco says
The thing about cops and firefighter’s is that they’re pretty much always on duty even when they are off…
Tim Scott says
Drive around in a fire truck on your off time Falco? Watcha gonna do if you drive by a fire in your civvymobile, stop and spit on it?
Lauren says
Where’s “Black Lives Matter”! Now they wonder why they get confronted by the police.
Dear Matt k says
Umm, it was on trial, those take awhile…
Matt_K says
I know it was a trial. I saw that.
My original comment was related to the fact that, given today’s socio-political climate re: law enforcement, I wonder if such a scenario were to repeat itself now, would the observing officer do the same and take the same action?
Matt_K says
Kudos to the LASD deputy who noticed this and then did something! …but notice this was way back in January 2015?
In the current socio-political climate, it might be tempting for the same officer to simply keep driving and pretend he never saw anything, and rationalize it by saying to himself, “well, it hasn’t been radioed in yet, so I’m not bothering…”
I don’t want to live in a community crippled by crime and I appreciate the LASD for their efforts here.
Stangar says
These are dedicated professionals sworn by oath. Socio-political BS spewed by the mass media does not enter into their equation regarding protecting the public whether from petty crime or felony. You don’t get it. They live/love to catch the bad guys.