Man Pleads Not Guilty in Hair-Cutting Attacks

A Norwalk man who allegedly attacked women and cut their hair with a knife or scissors pleaded not guilty Thursday to robbery and assault charges.

Michael Lynn Howard, 47, faces nine counts of second-degree robbery, one count of a lewd act on a child and one count of assault on a police officer, said Long Beach Deputy Dist. Atty. Laurie Trammell.

If convicted, Howard faces a maximum sentence of 18 years and four months in prison, Trammell said.

Howard appeared unshaven and weary as he whispered “not guilty” during his arraignment before Long Beach Superior Court Judge Patrick D. Madden.

He remained in custody with bail set at $500,000. He is scheduled to return to court Jan. 31.

Howard’s brother Jack, a Los Angeles County probation officer, has described his brother as a family man and bicycle shop owner who had never been in trouble with the law.

Police said Michael Howard attacked women and one young girl in the Long Beach area and East Los Angeles in the last two weeks of December. He is accused of grabbing them from behind as they sat or walked along major streets, then cutting their hair with scissors or a knife.

On New Year’s Eve, a sheriff’s deputy saw Howard as he allegedly used a chokehold on a woman at a pay phone in East Los Angeles. The deputy chased Howard, who climbed into a nearby car and tried to run him down, authorities said. The deputy responded by firing several shots, but Howard drove away, police said.

Police arrested Howard Jan. 2 at an apartment building on Pine Avenue in Long Beach, where he had gone to see a friend.