Democratic donor Ed Buck remains jailed on suspicion of running West Hollywood drug den; 2 previously died in his apartment

 In blog, Crime News: Los Angeles Daily News

Democratic donor Ed Buck remains jailed on suspicion of running West Hollywood drug den; 2 previously died in his apartment

by City News Service

LOS ANGELES — Ed Buck, a prominent Democratic Party donor whose West Hollywood apartment was the scene of two fatal drug overdoses and who has been jailed on suspicion of running a drug den in his residence — where another near-fatal overdose allegedly occurred last week — is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning.

Buck, who is being held in lieu of $4 million bail, allegedly injected the man with “two dangerously large doses” of methamphetamine at the defendant’s apartment in the 1200 block of Laurel Avenue on Sept. 11, one week after allegedly administering a “dangerously large dose of methamphetamine” to the same man, according to a bail memorandum filed by Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes.

Buck allegedly refused to render aid to the man, who eventually fled from the apartment and called 911 from a nearby gas station, according to the document. The 37-year-old man suffered an overdose but survived, authorities said.

Buck’s attorney, Seymour Amster, has denied that his client — who allegedly was present at the location when the earlier fatal overdoses occurred — had any involvement in either death. He declined to comment on the newly filed case.

Buck, 65, was charged with one felony count each of battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine and maintaining a drug house, the District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday evening after Buck’s arrest. He is scheduled to appear in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom this morning to say how he pleads.

In a memorandum filed with the court, the prosecutor wrote that Buck is “a violent, dangerous sexual predator” who “mainly preys on men made vulnerable by addiction and homelessness” and that he is “still a suspect in the deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean.”

Moore, 26, was the first of two men to die at Buck’s apartment in less than 18 months. He was found dead of a crystal methamphetamine overdose in Buck’s home on July 27, 2017. The coroner ruled the death accidental.

On Jan. 7 of this year, a second man died of methamphetamine toxicity at Buck’s home. The death of Timothy Dean, 55, of West Hollywood, was also ruled accidental.

“Not deterred by the senseless deaths of Moore and Dean, the defendant nearly killed a third victim last week,” the deputy district attorney wrote in her bail memorandum. “The defendant’s predatory acts and conscious disregard for human life must be stopped.”

The prosecutor alleged that Buck lured “these vulnerable victims” to his house by using “the bait of narcotics, money and shelter.”

“From his home, in a position of power, Buck manipulates his victims into participating in his sexual fetishes. These fetishes include supplying and personally administering dangerously large doses of narcotics to his victims,” Barnes wrote in her court filing. “The defendant’s predatory acts and willful disregard for human life must be stopped before another life is lost.”

If convicted as charged, Buck faces a possible prison sentence of five years and eight months, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

In a statement released after Buck’s arrest, District Attorney Jackie Lacey said, “I remain deeply concerned for the safety of people whose life circumstances may make them more vulnerable to criminal predators. With this new evidence, I authorized the filing of criminal charges against Ed Buck.”

Last summer, prosecutors declined to file charges against Buck regarding Moore’s death, citing insufficient evidence. As for Dean’s death, the District Attorney’s Office has said that it remains under investigation.

Buck and Lacey are being sued in federal court over Moore’s death. Moore’s mother alleges that Buck lured her son from Houston to Los Angeles for the purpose of engaging in “commercial” sex acts.

The civil lawsuit accuses Buck of human trafficking and engaging in “revenge porn” by making and sharing a video of his alleged “meth-fueled sexual encounters” with Moore.

Lacey and Assistant Head Deputy District Attorney Craig Hum are named as co-defendants for allegedly violating Moore’s civil rights in their refusal to prosecute Buck.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Rep. Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, wrote, “It’s incomprehensible to me that it took a third man to be attacked and almost die to finally dissolve the unconscionable apathy that has allowed Ed Buck, a racist sexual predator, to roam free… Thanks to the tireless work of advocates and a community that has had enough, Los Angeles is a safer place. Now, justice must finally be served.”

Buck has been a prominent donor to Democratic candidates and office holders. He has also been active in LGBTQ political circles and once ran for the West Hollywood City Council.

All credit goes to City News Service Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com

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