‘Hair Bandit’ Gets 8 Years in Prison

The so-called “Hair Bandit” pleaded guilty Thursday and was sentenced to eight years in prison for cutting off the locks of nine women and a girl on the streets of Long Beach and East Los Angeles.

Michael Howard, 48, a bicycle shop owner prior to his Jan. 1, 2002, arrest, faced a minimum state prison sentence of 13 years, four months if convicted at trial. “He didn’t want to take that risk,” said his attorney, Gregg Hayata of the Los Angeles public defender’s office.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Laurie Trammell said she did not expect Howard to plead guilty Thursday morning at the Long Beach courthouse, where he appeared for a hearing to schedule his trial.

In return for the plea, Trammell said she offered Howard a 10-year prison sentence, which he declined. Superior Court Judge Gary Ferrari then offered and Howard accepted the eight-year sentence.

Howard, of Norwalk, was charged with 10 felony counts -- nine robberies (the hair) and one lewd act against a minor (a 12-year-old girl whose hair he cut), Trammell said.

Howard could have been sentenced to as many as 18 years, Trammell said, and his eight-year prison time can only be reduced by 15% because his convictions are for what the law defines as violent felonies.

“I think eight years is a fair sentence,” Trammell said.

The nine attacks occurred between Dec. 4 and Dec. 31, 2001. Acting out of what authorities described as a hair fetish, Howard was accused of grabbing women from behind as they stood or walked on main streets and shearing their hair with scissors or a knife. Some of the victims suffered neck injuries.

Howard’s brother, Jack Howard, has described him as a once-stable individual who radically changed a few weeks before the attacks. Jack Howard, a probation officer, said his brother abused drugs. He said that when he heard news of the “Hair Bandit,” he contacted authorities, saying later it was a difficult decision.