A 47-year-old man was ordered to serve 180 days in jail for peeping into several Westwood apartments in recent months.
Christopher Mendicino pleaded no contest Tuesday to two charges of peeping and one charge of loitering, said Frank Mateljan, spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office, in an email statement.
Mateljan said Mendicino’s charges stemmed from two peeping incidents in late March, three in late April and one in June. He added that there were five victims overall and that all the incidents took place in Westwood.
Mendicino was sentenced to 180 days in county jail and placed on probation for 36 months. Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner Alan Rubin also ordered him to submit to search and seizure at any time of the day or night, with or without a warrant.
He was also ordered from the UCLA campus and all residential areas between Sepulveda, Sunset, Beverly Glen and Wilshire boulevards, which includes Westwood Village and the North Village.
Mendicino faces up to an additional year in jail if he does not abide by the terms of his probation, Mateljan added.
University police officers arrested Mendicino Friday after he asked an acquaintance to store his belongings and buy him an Amtrak ticket to Santa Barbara under a false name.
Mendicino was first arrested in May on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct after peeking into an inhabited building. When he did not show up to his arraignment, police released a wanted poster in July. One of the five peeping incidents he was sentenced for on Tuesday took place after his May arrest.
Police found another train ticket to San Luis Obispo in Mendicino’s possession after they arrested him on Friday.
UCPD Lt. Mark Littlestone said Friday that police had been looking for Mendicino since he missed his court date, but did not find him until the tip because he does not have a listed permanent address.
Mendicino is a former employee of several Westwood businesses, including the Village Center Newsstand, which closed in June, and the Westwood Brewing Company, which closed in 2013.
He is being held at the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, and is expected to be released in late October.
Compiled by Sam Hoff, Bruin senior staff.