“SoHo Karen” Miya Ponsetto faces assault and more charges
Miya Ponsetto now faces additional charges after she was extradited to New York.
The trials and tribulations of “SoHo Karen” a.k.a Miya Ponsetto continue. After the 22-year-old put up a fight while being detained by police in California, Ponsetto is now facing even more charges than before.
According to ABC News, Ponsetto appeared in a Manhattan courtroom on Saturday (Jan. 9) and was formally charged with two counts of attempted assault, attempted robbery, grand larceny, and endangering the welfare of a child. The total charges stem from an incident at the Arlo SoHo hotel during which Ponsetto attacked and attempted to rob a Black teenager after she believed the teen had stolen her cell phone.
Before she faced charges in New York, Ponsetto accrued more charges in her hometown of Piru, Calif. On Thursday (Jan. 7), the Ventura County Sherriff’s Department attempted to stop Ponsetto while she was driving to arrest her on a fugitive warrant. After she stopped in front of a home, SoHo Karen put up a fight and resisted arrest before she was finally apprehended. She agreed to be extradited to New York to face the initial charges.
Grammy-winning trumpet player Keyon Harrold was staying with his 14-year-old son at the Arlo SoHo Hotel in New York City when Ponsetto approached his son in the lobby back on Dec. 26. Video footage from the hotel’s security cameras plus cell video shows Ponsetto accusing the teen of stealing her phone. We can also see Ponsetto attacking the teen in an attempt to swipe the iPhone in his hands.
Prior to her arrest in California, Ponsetto had appeared on “CBS This Morning” with Gayle King and made a public apology to the teen.
“I don’t feel that that is who I am as a person. I don’t feel like this one mistake does define me,” Ponsetto said. “But I do sincerely from the bottom of my heart apologize that if I made the son feel as if I assaulted him or if I hurt his feelings or the father’s feelings.”
After the interview, Ponsetto’s lawyer Sharen Ghatan said told ABC News that she’s “extremely concerned” for her mental state and claims Ponsetto is “emotionally unwell.”