Local News in Brief : Woman Faces Trial in Thefts by Fondler

A woman accused of fondling elderly men to distract them while she picked their pockets was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on a variety of charges, including grand theft and burglary.

Kathy Stevens, 29, of Canoga Park would approach the men, sometimes at shopping malls, and say she knew them from “the doctor’s office,” police said. She would then fondle them and go through their pockets, police said.

Van Nuys Municipal Judge Aviva K. Bobb ordered Stevens, who is in custody on $250,000 bail, to stand trial on 27 counts. A co-defendant, Peter John, 32, of Canoga Park, was ordered to stand trial on eight counts, including receiving stolen property and grand theft.