Two Eaton Fire Looting Cases Bring Five Defendants Back to Pasadena Court Wednesday

Five defendants charged in two separate Eaton Fire looting cases are scheduled to appear Wednesday morning at the Pasadena Courthouse, where pretrial hearings in both cases are set for 8:30 a.m. in Department B. 

The hearings, more than 17 months after the wildfire, involve allegations that the defendants entered evacuated Altadena homes on Jan. 8, 2025, and took property while the Eaton Fire was burning through the foothills. The charges are allegations. All defendants have pleaded not guilty. 

In the first case, 25PDCF00019, Roy Sims, Ryan Sims, Naquan Dewey Reddix and Pierie Obannon — spelled “Pierre” in some court calendar listings — face one count each of first-degree residential burglary, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors allege the four men entered a home in Altadena at approximately 5 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2025, while the area was under mandatory evacuation, and stole property — including an Emmy Award belonging to the resident. The Emmy was later recovered by law enforcement. 

The four were arrested the same day and charged two days later. Roy Sims and Ryan Sims each had bail set at $50,000 and remained in custody as of their arraignment, according to the DA’s office. Reddix and Obannon posted bail and were released. A preliminary hearing in the case was held June 30, 2025, in Department H of the Pasadena Courthouse. 

The second case, 25PDCF00020, involves Rudy Salazar and co-defendant Lucia Jilrara Perez, who each face two counts of first-degree residential burglary, according to the DA’s office. The court calendar provided to Pasadena Now lists Salazar’s appearance for Wednesday’s 8:30 a.m. hearing in Department B; Perez remains a co-defendant of record. Prosecutors allege the pair entered two homes in Altadena at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2025, during mandatory evacuations and were apprehended while allegedly attempting to enter a third residence. Judge Rita L. Badhan has presided over prior hearings in the case, which has moved through multiple pretrial proceedings, including a bench warrant hearing in April. 

If convicted, the four defendants in Case 25PDCF00019 each face up to six years in state prison. Salazar and Perez each face up to six years per count. 

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the charges in both cases at a Jan. 13, 2025, press conference, part of a broader prosecution of wildfire-related crimes. The DA’s office said nine people were charged with felony residential burglary for looting incidents in Altadena and Pacific Palisades during the fires, and that by Jan. 24, 2025, wildfire-related charges had been filed against 25 individuals. 

The Eaton Fire ignited the evening of Jan. 7, 2025, in Eaton Canyon, burned 14,117 acres across Altadena and surrounding areas, killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 structures.

Residential burglaries in Altadena surged 450 percent in the months following the fire compared with the same period in 2024, according to Pasadena Now reporting on Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department data. Both cases were investigated by the Sheriff’s Department. 

The Pasadena Courthouse is located at 300 E. Walnut St. The court contact number listed on the docket is 626-396-3312. 

“If you exploit this tragedy to prey on victims of these deadly fires, we will find you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” Hochman said at the time of the charges, according to the DA’s office.