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The man accused of breaking into the home of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass last month said in an interview published Monday that he was unaware it was the Getty House, the official home of the mayor.
Ephraim Hunter told Jon Baird of KNX News that he was on a five-day methamphetamine binge and thought he was being pursued and settled on the Getty House as a place to hide.
Hunter, 29, added that he “was not targeting the mayor and that he has no interest in politics and can’t even vote,” Baird reported.
Some reports have indicated that Hunter was calling out for “Karen,” but Hunter denied that, saying he was seeking his brother, Aaron.
Hunter did not encounter Bass inside the home, though he was confronted by who he believed was the mayor’s daughter and son-in-law. They told him to get out of the house, an order he refused, he told Baird.
Hunter faces charges of vandalism, which he thinks is appropriate as he broke a window to get it, but also has been charged with enhanced burglary, which he thinks is unfair.
Not only did Hunter claim he didn’t steal anything, but he left his phone and iPad at the Getty House.
Because of that second charge, Hunter’s bail was set at $100,000, and he’s unable to put up the $10,000 to secure bond.
Since his arrest, he’s been held at Pitchess Detention Center North in Castaic.