2 GET JAIL FOR ILLEGAL CHURCH.

Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH

Staff Writer

There was a gasp, then a hushed cheer in the courtroom Wednesday as the wife of a controversial pastor put her hands behind her back and was led to jail.

Charged with illegally bulldozing a hillside to build a church, Ohk Sun Park was arrested in Van Nuys Superior Court after a commissioner ruled that she and her husband, Pastor Won C. Park, had done little to fix a dangerous environmental problem they created in La Tuna Canyon.

Pastor Park was not in court -- citing heart problems -- and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The courtroom drama was the latest twist in a controversy that has brewed for more than five years in a rural Sunland neighborhood. And while serving jail time in such cases is rare in Los Angeles, neighbors and city building officials say the Parks are extreme offenders.

"We couldn't be happier they're going to jail," said Paula Gustafson- Carter, whose family owns land damaged by the Parks and is now caught in a legal morass.

"They've escaped the law for so many years; they have gotten away with so many things they've done illegally. They've taken advantage of our neighbors. They've damaged our property and they've thought they were above the law."

Without permits

Over two years, the Parks and their corporation, Praise the Lord in Holy Service, graded the hillside flat, filled in a canyon, built a 1,600-square-foot church and lived in it -- all without permits.

They also plowed a 40-foot-wide road through their neighbors' property to let Cingular Wireless access a cell phone tower on church-owned land -- again without permission or permits.

In October, the couple pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of illegal building and grading. They were given 36 months' probation and ordered to start repairing the massive environmental damage.

But even after that court order, inspectors said the pastor and his wife continued to let people live on the land and they moved several more sheds onto the property.

"The Parks don't seem to get it," Assistant City Attorney Don Cocek said Wednesday morning during a court hearing on the status of the site repairs.

"This is a very dangerous situation created by the defendants. There's a huge amount of unstable dirt. It poses a very dangerous situation to the people who live around the area."

Ordered to jail

Van Nuys Superior Court Commissioner Dennis Mulcahy revoked the couple's probation and ordered them to jail. Ohk Sun Park was in court and a deputy immediately took her into custody as a dozen neighbors watched.

Pastor Park skipped the hearing, citing heart problems and sending a doctor's note. But the commissioner was not swayed, and issued a warrant for his arrest. Bail for the couple was set at $145,000.

The arrests close one chapter in the long saga over the illegal church in La Tuna Canyon, but the story continues with multiple lawsuits.

Because the neighboring Gustafsons had not been informed that Park created a road through their property for Cingular to access its cell tower, Cingular is now suing the Gustafsons for easements to cross their property.

In another case, the Parks are suing the Gustafsons, accusing them of libel and claiming emotional distress. The pastor and his wife want $5 million and a restraining order against the family for comments that they claim hurt their feelings, damaged their church and caused them to lose financial contributions.

Lawsuit claims

According to the lawsuit, the Gustafsons came to the Parks' church and told the congregation that the pastor "cannot hold a job so he became a minister for an easy life, that he neglects his duties and only eats meals and then socialized about Church politics with members."

The Gustafsons have said they're considering suing the Los Angeles Building and Safety Department for failing to follow through on citizen complaints and enforce numerous stop-work orders issued to Parks since 2001.

Outside the courtroom Wednesday morning, several neighbors said they face thousands of dollars in repairs from the environmental damage and fear a landslide every time it rains.

"If the Building and Safety Department had put their foot down much earlier, we would have avoided this mess," said Satoe Pierce, who lives next to the Parks.

But Building and Safety Chief Inspector Frank Bush said the department struggled to find the landowner. Citations went to the owner of record, but every time the city tried to crack down, the property changed hands. "Actually determining property ownership took the most time," Bush said.

With pressure from Councilwoman Wendy Greuel's office, the department tracked down the Parks and filed charges last year.

"In this community, with Sunland-Tujunga and La Tuna Canyon, these are hidden rural areas that people think they can get away with things," Greuel said.

"We are saying that if you break the law we will come after you. It's about time we send that message."

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

photo, map

Photo:

(color) A sign marks the entrance to a church along La Tuna Canyon Road, where illegal building and grading has taken place. The church's pastor and his wife pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges, but for failing to fix the environmental damage, the wife was jailed Wednesday and a warrant was issued for her husband.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

Map:

Illegal Church

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