THOUSAND OAKS : Attic Resident to Be Arraigned Monday

A man who lived for three years in the attic crawl space of a Thousand Oaks office complex was released Thursday, after his attorney promised to have him appear in Ventura County Municipal Court on Monday.

David Michael Russell, 40, who was arrested Wednesday after merchants in the Village Glen Plaza told police he was living in the building illegally, will be arraigned Monday on misdemeanor charges of trespassing and theft of services.

The private attorney who represented Russell at Thursday’s proceeding, Paul J. Salcedo of Sherman Oaks, is the defendant’s brother-in-law.

“We’re going to try and work something out with the property manager and see if they’ll drop the charges,” Salcedo said outside court.

Merchants at the plaza on Village Glen Road frequently observed Russell cleaning up the building and grounds, but did not realize he lived above them. He had hooked into the building’s electrical supply to provide power to his microwave oven, black and white television and an eight-track tape stereo.

Salcedo promised Judge John E. Dobroth that he would see to it that Russell is taken to his mother’s home in Seal Beach until the next court appearance.

Salcedo called his brother-in-law “a genius” looking for a place to fit in with society.

“He has so many abilities, but he can’t get them put to use because he can’t sit down long enough,” Salcedo said. “Maybe he’s a little ahead of some of us.”