A woman wearing a “Palisades Strong” T-shirt — part of a campaign to promote solidarity and resilience among fire victims — was arrested Friday on suspicion of looting a home destroyed in last month’s devastating wildfire, authorities said.
Authorities say the woman, whom they identified as Karen Mastey, stole numerous antiques from a residence burned in the Jan. 7 fire, which destroyed nearly 7,000 homes and other structures and killed at least 12.
In the weeks since the fire broke out, numerous retailers have sold merchandise adorned with the “L.A. Strong” logo — with proceeds intended to go to recovery efforts. Shirts bearing similar messages of resilience, solidarity, and hope for Pacific Palisades residents have popped up on many online marketplaces.
The California Highway Patrol recieved a 911 call Friday afternoon from a homeowner who had spotted a suspicious vehicle after returning home to retrieve some “belongings they had set to the side” and finding some items missing, according to a CHP spokesperson.
CHP Sgt. Daniel Keene said the vehicle had left the area by the time officers arrived, but the homeowner provided them with a description of the suspect and her vehicle. Investigators later determined the vehicle was registered to an address in Santa Clarita, about 35 miles north of the crime scene, Keene said. Officers were dispatched to the location, where they found Mastey in possession of some of the stolen items and arrested her on suspicion of grand theft, the CHP said in a news release.
“I am incredibly proud of the swift action taken by our officers to protect the public and prevent further harm,” Keene said.
He said that no charges had been filed against Mastey as of Saturday, but that the agency had further details about the case that it would release Monday.
An online jail roster shows that Mastey was booked under her maiden name and later released. It lists her age as 53.
In recent weeks, state lawmakers have proposed tougher penalties for looting and other opportunistic crimes during disasters, in an effort to ease residents’ fears of their evacuated homes being burglarized.
And yet publicly available statistics suggest that such crimes aren’t as widespread as some assert.
Authorities say at least two dozen individuals have been arrested in evacuation zones after the recent Palisades and Eaton wildfires.
One group of suspected burglars reportedly stole more than $200,000 worth of valuables from a home in Mandeville Canyon near Santa Monica, while another is alleged to have stolen an Emmy Award from an Altadena home, where they Eaton fire destroyed more than 9,400 homes and other structures and killed at least17.
With the backing of police and firefighter groups, some lawmakers have proposed tough-on-crime legislation that would treat burglaries in emergency areas as felony offenses, with potentially stiffer penalties. One proposed bill also would crack down on people who impersonate police, firefighters or paramedics during a wildfire.
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman, whose office has filed charges in 27 criminal cases related to the wildfires, has called the current law to crack down on such crimes “underwhelming.”
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department has created a Looter Suppression Team to provide closer surveillance and a quicker response time to Altadena neighborhoods that were evacuated.
