A young man who was arrested Saturday for looting in the aftermath of the wildfires in Alpine pleaded not guilty Tuesday in El Cajon Superior Court.
Felony charges of residential burglary and attempted burglary were filed against Ardian Iseni, 29, who denied the looting charges when he appeared before Judge Robert Amador.
A young man who was arrested Saturday for looting in the aftermath of the wildfires in Alpine pleaded not guilty Tuesday in El Cajon Superior Court.
Felony charges of residential burglary and attempted burglary were filed against Ardian Iseni, 29, who denied the looting charges when he appeared before Judge Robert Amador.
Iseni was on probation for burglary at the time of his arrest by sheriff’s deputies, so the judge revoked bail. Amador set $50,000 bail on the current case, but Iseni cannot be released due to the no-bail on the previous case.
Deputy District Attorney Shane Waller said he could not discuss the previous case for which Iseni had been placed on probation.
KGTV Channel 10 reporter Steve Fiorina interviewed an Alpine woman who said she spotted Iseni trying to get inside a neighbor’s house. The resident said he looked out of place, and she saw him peering in the windows and turning the door knob to see if it was locked.
The resident in the Channel 10 interview described Iseni as “a young gentleman in 108-degree weather with a hoody and baseball cap” on a bicycle. She said the man had “a large black women’s satchel,” and she yelled at him, calling him “a looter…and a thief.”
She said her husband and some other neighbors quickly surrounded the man, and when they emptied his bag, it contained jewelry that was taken from someone’s home.
Court records list about 7-8 misdemeanors filed against Iseni in the last three years, but it could not be confirmed if he was convicted in any of those cases. There were three filed against him in March and April. If he is convicted of the current charges against him, he could receive a 6-year prison term.
