A 29-year-old man accused of breaking into Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass's home and forcing her to seek refuge in a safe room pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a felony charge of criminal damage to property, and prosecutors dropped a more serious theft charge.

Ephraim Hunter was placed on probation for two years and ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Armenui Amy Ashbanian ordered Hunter to undergo drug treatment and stay away from buses, the Mayor's Mansion, and Los Angeles City Hall for three years.

The early morning incident in April exposed security flaws at Getty House, the mayor's official residence in Windsor Square, and raised questions about whether Hunter deliberately targeted Bass. Hunter's family claims that on April 21, Hunter was in an apparently drug-induced state of mental disarray, did not know where he was, and was not there to steal anything.

Zach Seidl, a spokesman for Bass, declined to comment on the plea agreement.

Deputy Public Defender Howard Stern, who represents Hunter, said his client is “pleased” with the resolution of the case.

“He has worked hard in his recovery and looks forward to rebuilding his life and becoming a success story,” Stern said in an email.

Hunter initially faced charges of first-degree burglary and criminal damage to property, both felonies that carry a maximum sentence of 13 years and four months in prison. As part of the plea deal, Hunter also pleaded guilty to a 2016 robbery conviction in Massachusetts.

Days after Hunter's April 21 arrest, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón told reporters he believed Hunter was specifically targeting Bass, who lives with his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.

During Wednesday's hearing, Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Chung told the judge that the first-degree burglary charge against Hunter would be dismissed because prosecutors failed to prove Hunter's intent. Chung acknowledged that Bass' video showed Hunter engaging in “erratic behavior” before breaking into Bass' home.

Interim LAPD Chief Dominic Choi confirmed in April that no officers from the department were on the property when Hunter broke through a glass door and entered the home, leaving a trail of blood. Officers arrived at the home and arrested Hunter after Bass entered a secure room on the property.

A LAPD source who was not authorized to speak publicly about the incident previously told The Times that the department has since maintained a high-visibility 24-hour presence in the area.

According to police and prosecutors, Hunter broke into the mayor's residence around 6:40 a.m. while Bass and several family members were home. Police officials said Hunter went up to the second floor and at one point encountered the mayor's German shepherd, Stacks. No one was injured and nothing was stolen.

A law enforcement source told The Times that Hunter called out Bass' name after entering Bass' residence. Hunter gave a different account. Communicate to KNX He was calling his brother Aaron by his first name.

In an interview with KNX, Hunter said he was under the influence of methamphetamine and thought someone was following him. He denied that he was targeting the mayor, saying he had no interest in politics and that his criminal record bars him from voting.

The incident was the second of two break-ins Bass has experienced in recent years. In 2022, two men broke into his Baldwin Vista home and stole two guns. Both men were sentenced to prison last year.

Hunter, who was previously convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in Massachusetts and served seven years in state prison, according to court records, was present at the attack but claimed he wasn't involved, relatives told The Times.

A woman who identified herself as Hunter's mother previously told The Times that he struggled with drug addiction and may have been suffering from hallucinations at the time of the break-in.

Josephine Dua described her son as a “very kind and loving person” whose life was turned upside down by drug use and stints in prison. She repeatedly maintained she had no idea he had entered the mayor's house.