A retired Los Angeles County deputy sheriff and his nephew allegedly kidnapped a vulnerable 14-year-old girl, doped her up with methamphetamine and sexually molested her, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Former lawman Benny Vincente Caluya, 68, and his 49-year-old nephew, Clifford Leimana Abihai, are accused of plucking the teenager off the streets as she walked alone in the city of Lancaster on Aug. 27 or 28, the county District Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
Prosecutors said the girl was then given meth and taken to Caluya’s Lancaster home, where the onetime deputy allegedly molested the youngster.
“It is particularly egregious that a former law enforcement officer sexually preyed upon a teenage girl and along with his accomplice supplied her with methamphetamine,” DA George Gascon said.
“These reprehensible acts are utterly unacceptable,” Gascon said. “We will pursue justice with unwavering resolve, holding these offenders accountable for their heinous actions.”
Caluya, who retired from the force in 2001, was charged with a felony count of lewd act upon a child aged 14 or 15, while Caluya and Abihai are also both charged with felony counts of sale or furnishing a controlled substance to a minor, prosecutors said.
Both men were arrested last month and charged with kidnapping the teenager before giving her drugs and sexually assaulting her, CBS News reported at the time.
They were arraigned on the charges on Monday, with Caluya freed on a $250,000 bond and his nephew released on a $100,000 bond, authorities said.
They face up to nine years in prison if convicted.
Caluya has refused to speak with reporters since his arrest.