SANTA MONICA – Law enforcement officials have announced the recovery of an Emmy Award along with more than $200,000 worth of items that were stolen from homes left deserted during the recent wildfire evacuations in the Los Angeles region.

On Monday, authorities stated that they have charged nine individuals with burglary and looting in areas affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires. They also mentioned that they are seeking to charge individuals who pretended to be firefighters to gain unauthorized entry into evacuation zones.

“The question is not whether you’ll be caught, but when, if you decide to commit these crimes,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman during a press briefing. “These actions are reprehensible and represent a direct assault on our community at a time of significant loss and vulnerability.”

Additionally, numerous individuals have been arrested for breaching closure orders, and security measures have been enhanced across the evacuation zones.

While officials did not disclose further information on the owner of the Emmy statuette, they noted that several of those arrested had criminal records that could result in lengthy prison sentences if found guilty.

The National Guard military police are working alongside local law enforcement and the California Highway Patrol to conduct checkpoints and patrol the evacuation areas. Officials understand the residents’ concerns about looting while they are away from their homes and have assured evacuees that the increased law enforcement presence will help deter such crimes and allow for the capture of individuals breaking into vacant houses.

Media personnel are allowed to bypass closure orders, and YSL News reporters navigated through multiple checkpoints and credential verifications across Malibu and the Pacific Coast Highway, particularly in the severely impacted Palisades area. Outside of emergency response teams and utility workers in official vehicles, there seemed to be very few private cars in the region.

In Topanga Canyon, a small mountain community above Malibu, local resident and volunteer Seth Monk shared that this has been a challenging time for those displaced by the fires. He mentioned that a small group of locals stayed behind during the peak of the fires, monitored by “arson patrol” volunteers. Monk noted that evacuees have struggled to stay in touch with those who remained, increasing their anxiety and fear.

“People are genuinely concerned about their homes,” he stated, mentioning a friend whose house was broken into. He added that the heightened security measures seemed to be having a positive effect.

“There are only a couple of roads in, and those are currently blocked off,” he pointed out, referring to the police checkpoints.

Nevertheless, Monk recounted that over the weekend, several residents hopped into their cars after hearing reports of looting at a neighbor’s house.

However, it turned out that the so-called looter was actually an elderly local woman who was simply picking lemons from a neighbor’s tree—with permission.