VAN NUYS : Man Gets 14 Years for Crime Spree
A 19-year-old Ventura man was sentenced to 14 years in prison Wednesday for his role in a crime spree that included kidnaping, three car thefts and a crash at a Studio City intersection.
Milan Belko was convicted last month of six felonies in the May 3 spree, which police said occurred as he tried to flee the state after being told in Ventura Municipal Court that he was to be jailed for an outstanding Juvenile Court warrant for robbery.
Also convicted in the Van Nuys Superior Court trial was Kathleen Gothro, 19, of Paso Robles. She was driving the last of three cars the couple stole at gunpoint when the auto crashed into another vehicle at Ventura Boulevard and Fulton Avenue. Gothro’s baby Alissa, then 3 months, was injured in the accident.
Judge Kathryne Ann Stoltz ordered a psychiatric evaluation of Kathleen Gothro before Gothro’s sentencing, scheduled for May 4.
Gothro faces up to 16 years in prison, Deputy Dist. Atty. Andrew W. Diamond said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
