Sometimes I think back with shame at having thrown pieces of ham and saltine crackers around David Fox's living room during a party in high school while his folks were away. So I'd be downright suicidal if I were one of the 14 teens charged with breaking into a mansion last November and throwing a blowout that resulted in more than $1 million in damages and losses while the owner was out of town.
The 90,000-square-foot pad is in La Habra Heights, which overlooks La Habra but is actually part of Los Angeles County.
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The teens, who ranged in age from 15 to 17 at the time of the Nov. 23-24 party, were arraigned Wednesday in Pomona Juvenile Court, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.
All 14 teens face misdemeanor trespassing charges. Nine of them are also accused felony residential burglary, and four of those are also charged with grand theft.
Six boys and one girl pleaded not guilty Wednesday and are due back in Juvenile Court for another hearing June 3. Six other boys and another girl are set to return there May 1.
The illegal party was allegedly advertised via social media and drew more than 100 teens who paid admission to enter, according to prosecutors, who claim the mansion was looted and trashed and a mounted snow leopard, designer clothing and medieval armor were stolen.
OK, maybe ham pieces and cracker crumbs aren't so bad after all.
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OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.