Court to Set Hearing Date in Eaton Fire Burglary Case

A preliminary hearing date will be set Tuesday, January 28, 2025, for four suspects charged with burglarizing an Altadena home during evacuations for the recent Eaton Fire.

Roy Sims, 18, Ryan Sims, 19, Naquan Dewey Reddix, 22, and Pierre Obannon, 19, are scheduled to appear in Department D of the Pasadena Courthouse. Each faces one count of first-degree residential burglary.

The suspects allegedly entered the evacuated home around 5 p.m. on January 8 and stole several items, including an Emmy Award belonging to the resident. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the case.

Prosecutors filed charges against the four defendants on January 10. The defendants pleaded not guilty at their arraignment the same day.

Roy and Ryan Sims remain in custody with bail set at $50,000 each. Reddix and Obannon posted bail and were released.

If convicted, each defendant faces up to six years in state prison.

The case is part of a larger crackdown on looting and other crimes committed during recent wildfires in Los Angeles County.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman said publicly and repeatedly that those who exploit natural disasters will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

The hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at the Pasadena Courthouse, 300 E. Walnut St.