The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • B3

LATIMES.COM MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2022 B3 CITY STATE Los Feliz residents Cylin Busby and Damon Ross were returning home Sat- urday night after seeing the horrormovie in which a young woman en- ters a rental home and is startled todiscover anunex- pectedguest. As they drove up to their housenearGriffithPark, the couple spotted the silhou- ette of a large and imposing figure in their driveway. They had seen coyotes and raccoons in the neighbor- like this. fromthismovie, we were particularly on said Ross, a 50-year- old producer at Dream- WorksAnimation. It turned out to be what they believe is themountain lion known as P-22, plopped in front of their house, just a few feet from the car.

The cougar has long lived in the GriffithParkarea. P-22 surprised the world when he first appeared a decade ago in the park, which scientists had consid- ered toourbanandtoosmall to support mountain lions. Theyassumedthathewould eventually leave the park, but he has remained, eating mule deer and raccoons and occasionally appearing on surveillance cameras, cre- ating amedia frenzy. On this occasion, the ani- malappearedtobecalmand comfortable inhissurround- ings. was lying down as if about to take a said Busby, a 52-year-old screenwriter and author of several books, including one loosely based on Franny, a feline who lives in Los SkylightBooks.

As the couple locked eyes withthemountain reached for his cellphone to snapapicture. were far more anx- ious said. At first the couple surewhat todo. Should they call police? What if the cougar jumpedon the car? wasGoogling, who do I said Busby, who has lived in the area for 12 years but had never seen a moun- tain lion before. abouttopulldownawindow, and I want to disturb him, but we also eventually have to get into Ana Beatriz Cholo, a spokesperson for the Na- tional Park Santa Monica Mountains area, said she has not confirmed whether the mountain lion wasP-22.

there any other mountain lions living in Griffith Park or in that she said, adding that it is not unusual for P-22 to venture outside thepark. Ever since National Geo- graphic in 2013 released a photo of P-22 roaming in the hills beneath theHollywood sign, he has been a celebrity. In addition to his spread in themagazine, he is the sub- ject of a documentary and a NaturalHistoryMuseumex- hibit. By order of the City 22 inLosAnge- les is Despite their intimidat- ing presence, mountain li- ons rarely attack humans, said Tiffany Yap, a senior scientist at the Arizona- based Center for Biological Diversity. It seems the ani- mals are the ones that have more to fear in an urban en- vironment, asmore than100 arekilledonroadseveryyear inCalifornia, Yap said.

is a great example of why we need to think about how to safely coexist with the wildlife around Yap said of the sighting, adding that Ross andBusby did a great job by staying in their car andwait- ing for the cougar to leave. Three or four minutes after he was spotted, the mountain lion scampered toward the olive trees in the hillside next to the home. He disappeared, showed up on a security camera 90 minutes later, thendisappearedonce again. was a close-up glimpse of a true natural Busby said. wasa really The couple has a rescue not terribly thrilled that all the attention is not on Ross said.

He has worked withSamRockwell andJack Black, butSaturdaymarked best celebrity sighting ever Still, Busby saw a bit of sadness in eyes. most with people, if I can speak formy husband and is that he is alone over here. He has no name. He has no she said. help but feel a little sad for Handsome celeb makes surprise appearance A mountain lion likely P-22 shows up at Los Feliz home.

By Jeong Park Plans tomove a San Fer- nando Valley charter school closer to the underre- sourced Latino community it serves have run into oppo- sition frompreservationists, who say the North Hills neighborhood has enough schools andhave raised con- cerns about a 1910s-era houseon theproposed lot. The house at15526 Plum- mer St. was one of the first constructed in Mission Acres, as North Hills was originally named. Built in 1914, the homewas owned by John L. Plummer, a pioneer- ing farmerwhoownedabout 90 acres, according to a re- port by the Cultural HeritageCommission.

SurveyLA, a citywidehis- toric resources review, des- ignated the property as anda example of an intact 1910s Debora Masterson, 72, whofoundedthe60-member North Hills Preservation Consortium, said the Plum- mer house and the adjacent parcel should be used for a museum dedicated to early California history and a community park. She has beenhelping lead the charge for designating the house a historic-cultural monu- ment, raising more than $5,000 tohire a consultant to write thenomination. The group started a petition and staged a pro- test in July, arguing that the neighborhood already has more thanadozen schools. The charter school, Valor Academy Elementary, has movedamong temporary lo- cations in Granada Hills, Panorama City and Arleta over the last seven years and aims to find a permanent home. ChiefExecutiveHragHa- malian of Bright Star Schools, which runs nine charters town and West Adams, said the new location would shorten commutes for Valor Academy parents, many of whom have children atmul- tipleBrightStar campuses.

The three Bright Star Schools in NorthHills serve about 1,430 students. About of them are Latino, and are from low-income families, according to the charter group. Hamalian said that he supports the historic-cul- tural designation for the house and that an architect and consultant have been hired to ensure the rest of the school buildings will in- corporate the motif and aesthetic of the been honestly quite confounded, confused and hurt the opposition since the begin- ning of this project, we have been in full public support of the historical designation and the preservation of the he said. The school is waiting on city approval of its plans, ex- pected to come in the next three to six months, before beginning construction. In its preliminary plans, the school listed the futureuseasadministrative, but Hamalian said he re- mains open to other ideas forthehouseandcollaborat- ing with the North Hills PreservationConsortium.

Hamid Nourafchan, the ownerof thePlummerhouse since 2010, said that it was a to sell to Bright Star Schools and that a much-needed educational resource to the surrounding Masterson reached out to him several times over the last year, he said, but he informed her that he was already in es- crowwith the school. I understand, Bright Star is planning to incorpo- rate the existing family Debora wanted saved as the office component of the new said Frank Ev- reales- tate broker. would seem tome like this shouldbemu- sic toher But Masterson said the preservation group finds it for the house to be used as a school office insteadof amuseum. in thedoorand as if the Plummer family is still living she said. hadwells and chicken coops in the backyard and they dry farmed.

It gives people a sense of place anda sense of belonging that I think is really The Plummers owned the house from1912-19 before selling it, said Ken Bern- stein, manager of the OfficeofHistoricResources. They resided in their main home a couple of blocks to the west, but it was demol- ished in the1980s. If the building is ap- proved as a historic-cultural monument, it be torn down without the permis- sion of the Los Angeles Cul- turalHeritageCommission. fact that this home remains from 1914, even be- fore this communitybecame part of Los Angeles, a very rare, intact example from that earliest time pe- said. The nomination was approved by the Office of Historic Resources and the Cultural Heritage Com- mission, leaving the City Council todecideonfinalap- proval.

Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez has backed the historic designation for the house but taken a stance on what should be built on theproperty. THE NORTH Hills Preservation Consortium hopes that 15526 Plummer St. and an adjacent parcel will be used for a museum and park instead Valor Academy Elementary, a charter school seeking a permanent home. Brian van der Brug Los Angeles Times Preservationists oppose plans to move By Summer Lin A San Bernardino County man was sentenced last week to five years in fed- eral prison in connection with dozens of smash-and- grab robberies of cellphone stores across SouthernCali- fornia, authorities said. Tony Tyron Lee Stewart, 22, of Highland was sen- tenced Thursday to 60 months in prison and or- inresti- tution by Judge John Kron- stadt, according to the U.S.

district office. Stewartpleadedguilty earli- er toonecountof conspiracy to interfere with commerce in connection with 52 smash-and-grab robberies at and T-Mobile stores. co-conspira- tors, Rayford Newsome, 21, of Compton and Jerome Gregory Belser, 21, of San Bernardino, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to inter- fere with commerce, prose- cutors said inanews release. Belser was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison. Newsome is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan.

5, and is facing a maximum prison sentenceof 20 years. The robberies, which oc- curred from Nov. 11, 2021, to Jan. 13, resulted in a loss of about $293,444 and caused about $46,376 indamage, au- thorities said. The men robbed cellphone stores in San Bernardino, Los Ange- les, Ventura, Orange and Kern counties.

Wearing ski masks, the men entered stores and smashed display cases with hammers, threatened cus- tomers and employees, and stole watches, cellphones and other devices, author- ities said. Authorities said they fled the store and es- caped ina vehicle. After a Jan. 13 robbery in Camarillo, themenfled from police officers when they tried to conduct a traffic stop, authorities said. The chase eventually came to an end inNorthHollywood and themenwere arrested.

almost each of these robberies, there were be- tween two and four employ- ees present along with mul- tiple prose- cutors said in a sentencing memorandum. em- ployee is forced to return to these work locations, pro- vide customer service, and attempt to earn a living a while dealing with the fear and anxiety that they may again be robbed or threat- ened with a dangerous weaponwhile Man sentenced in 52 phone store robberies By Summer Lin A jaguar cubwas illegally bought, sold, transported and ultimately abandoned outsideananimal sanctuary in Southern California, re- sulting in federal charges for aRiversideCountymanand said. Abdul Rahman, 34, of Murrieta and Trisha Denise Meyer, 40, of Houston were indicted Wednesday in fed- eral court on charges of in- terstate transportation of an endangered species in the courseof commercial ac- tivity, trafficking prohibited wildlife species, and traffick- ing endangered species, ac- cording to theU.Sattorney’s office fortheCentralDistrict ofCalifornia. Meyer, who also faces a charge of interstate sale of an endangered species, is at large and being sought by authorities. Meyer is accused of sell- ing Rahman the live cub in the spring of 2021 for $30,000 with an additional $1,000 fee totransport theanimal from Texas toCalifornia.

to the sale, Meyer posted on Instagramphoto- graphs and videos of herself with toan affidavit filedwithacriminal complaint in this ac- cording to a news release from the U.S. of- fice. One to twomonths later, Rahman resold the cub to another buyer, identified only as H.G., for $20,000, prosecutors said. Because H.G. lived in a home with a pregnant part- er person, identified as R.A., raised concerns hav- ing a juvenile jaguar and a newborn infant in the same H.G.

allowed the cub to be taken toa rescue center. OnSept.17, and his roommate drove the cub toananimal rescuecenter in Alpine, in a large dog kennel and dropped it off at the entrance, prosecutors said. event was captured on security cameras and law enforcement was according to the U.S. attor- office. The jaguar remains at the sanctuary inAlpine.

If convictedofall charges, Meyer facesuptoeightyears in prison and a $700,000 fine. Rahman faces up to seven years in prison and a $600,000 fine. The incident is under in- vestigation by the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service and the California Department of FishandWildlife. Two people indicted in sale of jaguar cub By Christian Martinez An 80-year-old woman out for awalkwasmauled to death by two dogs in Baldy Mesa, an unincorporated area of San Bernardino County, authorities said.

Sheriff deputies found Soon Han lying on the road shortly after 11 a.m. Friday near the intersection of Vin- ton Road and Mesa Street, according to a news release fromthesheriff who suffered major injuries during the attack, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two Dogo Argentino dogs were captured and are being held by the Animal Control agency as the department continues its investigation, authorities said. Authorities are asking anyone with information to call the Victor Valley Sher- iff (760)552-6800 or the Sheriff Dispatch at (760) 956-5001. People can also submit an anonymous tip atwetip.com.

Fatal dog attacks are rare. A nonprofit organiza- tion, DogsBite.org, tracked 568 dog bite-related deaths in the United States be- tween 2005 to 2020, about 35 a year. But some countries such as Denmark have banned DogoArgentinos, saying the breed is toodangerous. Woman, 80, out for walk is fatally mauled by 2 dogs By Jeong Park Los Angeles police an- nounced Sunday they had arrested the motorist in- volved in a fatal hit-and-run crash inGriffithPark. The incident occurred about 3 p.m.

Saturday when a man and woman got into an argument on Fern Dell Drive, said Officer Rosario Cervantes, a spokesperson for thePoliceDepartment. Valeriy Saakan, 70, then apparently lost his footing and, according to the Police Department, was tionally run with his fled. Saakan was hospital- izedbut laterdied. Hollywood patrol officers spotted the car, which had damage and was covered with a blue tarp, on Sunday morning, police said. Officers took custody of Sonia Sovereign, 32, after she exited the Lexus.

She was arrested on charges of murder and her bail was set at $1million. Police said she confessed. Woman arrested in fatal hit-and-run By Marisa Gerber and Phil Willon.