Sentence of Obsessed Fan Cut to 4 Years

SAN FERNANDO —  A judge Tuesday reduced to four years a six-year state prison term originally imposed on Joni Leigh Penn of Garden Grove, an obsessed fan of Sharon Gless who twice broke into the actress’ home with a loaded rifle.

Superior Court Judge John Major made the reduction after reading a diagnostic study prepared by state prison officials. The study pointed to several mitigating factors in Penn’s case. Among those is Penn’s lack of a previous criminal record, her history of mental illness, the absence of violence during the break-ins and the fact that Gless was not present when Penn broke into her home on either occasion last March.

Los Angeles Deputy Dist. Atty. Ken Barshop said that under state law, the judge was allowed to resentence Penn within 120 days of the initial sentencing.

Penn, 30, was given the original sentence after she pleaded no contest July 16 in the case.