SANTA MONICA—The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office revealed that Eric Wess Uller, 50, has been charged with sexually abusing four boys while volunteering at the Santa Monica Police Activities League.
Deputy District Attorney Karen Montoya noted Uller of Marina del Rey faces three counts of lewd acts upon a child, two counts of oral copulation of a person under 18 and one count of continuous sexual abuse. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday, November 5. Uller is expected back in court on November 15 in Department W30 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Airport Branch. The illegal conduct is alleged to have occurred between December 1986 and September 1995
The defendant is alleged to have abused the victims between the ages of 12 and 16 years old from 1986 to 1995, the prosecutor indicated.
Santa Monica Mayor Ted Winterer issued the following statement on October 30:
“The recent arrest of a City employee has raised legitimate concern in our community, from this Council and from our City staff, so I want to provide a brief announcement on what we know and are able to share. Our hearts go out to anyone impacted by these deeply disturbing circumstances. And I want to acknowledge the bravery of any and all victims that come forward to report sexual misconduct.”
Uller was placed on administrative leave immediately upon his arrest noted Mayor Winterer in his statement.
“Over the last several days, there have been allegations that the City may have been aware of criminal conduct by Mr. Uller and failed in the past to address it. We take this concern seriously. We are committed to transparency and accountability. The City Attorney’s Office has retained outside counsel to conduct a comprehensive investigation of these allegations. The City is also conducting a comprehensive review of the procedures in place to protect youth participants of the PAL program,” said Mayor Winterer.
Bail was set at $750,000. If convicted as charged, Uller faces a possible maximum sentence of more than 23 years in state prison. The case is still under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
