Fresno woman broke into homes while people were at church. What led her to do it?
A Fresno woman was sentenced Wednesday to three years probation and six months in jail for burglarizing people’s homes while they were at church and taking valuables.
Mohoff has admitted battling an addiction to benzodiazepines, a drug prescribed for anxiety.
Tulare County Sheriff’s detectives said Anne Daniel Mohoff, 49, admitted to targeting people that she knew wouldn’t be home for awhile. She told detectives she forcibly broke into their homes and stole items she could easily resell such as jewelry.
She’s accused of breaking into two homes in Porterville in late October 2018. She also is accused of breaking into a home in Fresno County and one in Kings County.
Detectives tracked down Mohoff after finding out she pawned the stolen items for cash at a Fresno pawn shop. She was arrested in November 2018 and two months later pleaded no contest to three felony charges of receiving stolen property.
During her sentencing Wednesday, her defense attorney John Abel urged Judge Heather Mardel Jones to give Mohoff probation and no time in jail.
Jones agreed to probation, given Mohoff’s lack of a criminal history. But the judge also said some jail was appropriate. Some of the items Mohoff stole and sold were treasured family heirlooms and from people she knew.
Mohoff has until Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. to turn herself in at the Fresno County Jail to begin serving her sentence. She is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 7 for a hearing on restitution for the victims.
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
