Buena Park Man Skips Out on Sentencing for Vandalizing Sikh Temple

BUENA PARK, CA - A 20-year-old man who pleaded guilty to a series of graffiti attacks at and near a Sikh temple in Buena Park failed to appear for sentencing Tuesday and may have jeopardized his plea deal.

Brodie Durazo of Buena Park pleaded guilty Feb. 22 to vandalism of religious property and vandalism with less than $400 in damage, both misdemeanors. Another misdemeanor count of vandalism with less than $400 in damage was dropped.

When he failed to appear for sentencing Tuesday a bench warrant was issued and then put on hold to see if he would come to court on April 19. If he fails to appear for that court date an arrest warrant is likely to be issued, according to Deputy District Attorney Jess Rodriguez.

It's up to the judge on April 19 to decide whether to go through with Durazo's plea deal, said Rodriguez, who declined to release the terms of the plea bargain.

The vandalism was reported Dec. 6 -- four days after the mass shooting attack by a husband and wife in San Bernardino that is being investigated as an act of terrorism.

When Durazo was arrested in December, police said he admitted to vandalizing a truck, a wall in the temple's parking lot and a building nearby at 7142 Orangethorpe Ave.

Police investigated the graffiti as a possible hate crime due to a profane reference to the Islamic militant group Islamic State group on the truck, although the vandalism on the temple's parking lot wall did not reference Islam.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock