Three Sentenced for String of Palmdale Home Burglaries

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — Two men and a woman, all from Lancaster, entered no contest pleas today 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 (dob 8/12/89) 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.

Artavia Montrella Eaton (dob 8/27/96), Johnson’s sister, entered no contest pleas to two counts of first-degree residential burglary and was sentenced to three years and four months in state prison.

Keith Thomas Martin (dob 12/5/88) 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.

Case MA065100 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, 2014. 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.

Contact:
Ricardo Santiago, Public Information Officer
(213) 257-2000
RSantiago (at) da.lacounty (dot) gov