La Crescenta burglary alleged to be a family affair
Three family members who allegedly used a ruse to sneak into a La Crescenta home last week were each charged with one count of first-degree residential burglary, officials said.
The men — identified as Danny Buster John, 24, Danny John, 55, and Frankie John, 51 — each pleaded not guilty this week to their charges, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
On the morning of Nov. 5, a resident in the 2700 block of Pinelawn Drive walked Danny Buster John to her backyard after a discussion about trimming trees, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department report.
After she became suspicious, the resident went inside and allegedly saw Danny John and Frankie John in her master bedroom.
She noticed her jewelry drawer had been opened, after which the suspects ran to their truck and fled, according to the report.
Sheriff’s deputies stopped the truck, which had a paper license plate attached to the rear bumper, near the Foothill (210) Freeway and La Crescenta Avenue. Frankie John had two warrants out for his arrest, while Danny Buster John had one.
The suspects are all related — Danny Buster John is Frankie John’s son and Danny John’s cousin, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Hector Mancinas.
In the truck, investigators found baseball caps, gloves, walkie-talkies and screwdrivers, as well as belongings that were possibly stolen, such as women’s jewelry and foreign currency, according to the report.
A day earlier, a similar incident was reported in La Crescenta, and three other similar burglaries have been reported in Glendale and La Crescenta since Sept. 30.
Whether the incidents are connected remains under investigation.
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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @atchek
