Burglary Suspect Found Living In Pomona Treehouse With Fire Pit, Barbecue
POMONA (CBSLA) — A man was found living in a rather well-appointed treehouse in the hills above the Fairplex in Pomona equipped with lighting, a fire pit and a barbecue.
Mark Duda, 56, of Pomona was arrested Tuesday after Pomona police got a tip that someone was living and hanging out in a "very well built and modern tree house in Ganesha Hills." Police deployed a K9 unit and a helicopter with a heat sensor system to find the treehouse.
According to Pomona police, the tree house was founded deep into the hillside of an area known as Soroptimist's Redwood Grove. It contained "essentials" such as a fire pit, barbecue and lighting, and pictures from inside the treehouse showed an expansive view of the Fairplex Exposition Complex and the rest of the Pomona Valley.
After ordering the treehouse's occupant several times, he eventually climbed down and was arrested without further incident.
Duda was arrested in connection with an April 18 burglary in the Ganesha Hills, where several items were taken from the home and the garage. The homeowner had told officers he saw the man leaving the home and recognized him.
This was not the first time someone has been found living in a luxurious treehouse in Southern California. Last year, someone was found living in a large pine tree with in Lantern Bay Park in Dana Point. That treehouse had three rooms on three levels, carpeting, an aquarium with about a dozen goldfish and ocean views.
