Attorney Gets Jail Sentence for Trespassing

A Woodland Hills attorney who once served as a temporary judge was sentenced Wednesday to a year in jail and a drug treatment program for a series of incidents in which he ended up inside his neighbors’ homes or on their properties late at night, authorities said.

A Municipal Court jury convicted Marc Sean Harvey, 38, earlier this month of multiple misdemeanor counts of trespassing and prowling, said Mike Qualls, a spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.

Upon his release from jail, Harvey must serve three years’ unsupervised probation and attend twice-a-week meetings at Narcotics Anonymous for a year, prosecutors said. Van Nuys Municipal Judge Michael Mink also referred the case to the State Bar, which may revoke Harvey’s right to practice law.

The defense, arguing that Harvey has drug and psychological problems and did not mean to harm anyone, said that rehabilitation and counseling rather than jail time would have been a more suitable sentence.

“There’s nothing to gain by further incarcerating Mr. Harvey,” said Michael Artan, the defense lawyer.

Prosecutors said that although Harvey did not commit violent crimes, the incidents could have turned out far worse.

“It’s distressing,” said Brian Michaels, an assistant city attorney. “It’s fortunate that it did not get that far.”

The incidents occurred in late July and early August on Rosario Road and Mulholland Drive, near Harvey’s home, authorities said.

In one incident, Harvey awoke a couple when he set off their burglar alarm. They found him standing at the back of their house looking into their kitchen window. The couple called police, who did not find Harvey, prosecutors said.

A few days later, police received a call from another home about a prowler matching the description of the man in the first case. Police arrested Harvey after finding a cocaine pipe in his possession.

In a third incident, an elderly woman woke up and found Harvey standing by her bed, prosecutors said. The woman called for her son, who confronted Harvey, allowing him to use the bathroom before escorting him out through the front door, prosecutors said.

Later that morning, another woman saw Harvey dancing in the street in front of her house, wearing a towel belonging to the woman’s daughter and which the family had last seen in their back porch.

During the trial, Harvey’s former girlfriend testified that he had a severe drug problem, particularly crack cocaine abuse, prosecutors said.