Accused child molester Eric Uller was scheduled for his first court appearance Monday but the hearing was continued to Nov. 5.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, Uller is now facing six felony charges including three counts of lewd acts with a child, two counts of oral copulation with a person under 18 and one count of continuous sexual abuse.
While his bail was originally set at $2 million, that amount was reduced to $750,000 but Court officials were unable to verify if he had been released on bail or was still in custody.
Eric Uller, a Principal Technology Analyst with the city’s information technology department was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) on Oct. 18. on accusations he molested young boys while a volunteer with the Police Activities League (PAL) in the 1990s. The Santa Monica Police Department began the investigation but requested the involvement of the Sheriff’s department.
In addition to volunteering with PAL, Uller worked with SMPD on several projects including crime mapping, police security cameras and outfitting patrol cars.
His arrest has unearthed accusations that officials long knew about his behavior but failed to act.
Schoolboard member and Pico Youth and Family Center director Oscar de la Torre has said Uller had a reputation in the Pico neighborhood. According to de la Torre, more potential victims have come forward in the past week and he is hosting a community meeting about the case on Wednesday, Oct. 24 from 7 – 9 p.m. in the Virginia Ave. Park Thelma Terry Building.
City Officials have said they will fully cooperate with the investigation and will hire an outside lawyer to investigate allegations of Uller’s conduct.
Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), Special Victims Bureau toll free tip line at (877) 710-5273 or by email at specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org.
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