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A former Los Angeles police officer has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a sequence of burglaries in San Fernando Valley neighborhoods that he used to patrol, in keeping with division sources and jail information.
Eric Halem, 37, was arrested Thursday afternoon by members of the LAPD’s Theft-Murder Division and is being held with out bail, in keeping with on-line jail information. He’s set to be arraigned on Monday. It’s unclear whether or not he has retained a protection lawyer.
Particulars in regards to the alleged crimes are murky, however a number of division sources — who requested anonymity to debate the open case — mentioned he was suspected of hyperlinks to dwelling invasions that occurred within the West Valley Division, the place Halem labored till a number of years in the past. The LAPD didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The West Valley contains Encino, an prosperous space that has been on edge following a sequence of dwelling break-ins, together with one which precipitated the deaths of “American Idol” music supervisor Robin Kaye and her rock musician husband, Tom DeLuca. That case rekindled issues about security within the space and led the LAPD to step up patrols. A suspect with a historical past of psychological sickness has been charged with the couple’s murders.
Halem resigned from the LAPD and opted to hitch the division’s reserve officer program in 2022, the place he remained till this March when he was charged with insurance coverage fraud.
Throughout his LAPD profession, he made a reputation for himself with facet companies as a safety guide and by renting out luxurious automobiles to music artists and celebrities.
In 2019, he was employed to offer safety for Randall Emmett, an motion film producer. Emmett was the topic of a 2022 Occasions investigation and subsequent Hulu documentary that surfaced allegations of abuse in opposition to ladies and assistants in addition to mistreatment of assistants and enterprise companions. Emmett has denied the allegations.
Across the identical time, Halem landed small roles in TV reveals like “Vanderpump Guidelines” and “Midnight within the Switchgrass.”
Earlier this 12 months he and his brother have been charged with insurance coverage fraud over what prosecutors alleged was an elaborate insurance coverage fraud scheme associated to a Bentley crash in January 2023. Courtroom information present that LAPD inside affairs investigators have been wanting into related allegations in opposition to Halem close to the top of his division profession.
Halem pleaded not responsible to 2 felony counts of insurance coverage fraud on Friday. His brother Jacob Halem, 32, additionally pleaded not responsible to a depend of insurance coverage fraud.
Eric Halem ran a number of automobile rental firms, Kaypr and Drive LA, which boasted a fleet of uncommon, luxurious autos, together with a 2020 Bentley Continental GT and a neon inexperienced Lamborghini Urus.
Prosecutors allege Halem informed informed his insurance coverage firm that his brother had borrowed the Bentley and crashed it on Jan. 5, 2023.
However police investigation revealed that the Bentley had been rented by a Drive LA shopper who wrecked it three days prior. After the rental driver’s insurance coverage declare was denied due to an absence of correct protection, Eric Halem filed a fraudulent declare for greater than $200,000 along with his insurance coverage firm on his private coverage, misrepresenting particulars of the accident, authorities allege.
Halem was stripped of his reserve police powers in March after the legal case in opposition to him was introduced.
The LAPD reserve program that Halem was a part of dates to World Conflict II, and right now reserves quantity within the 300s, and its membership over time has included not solely onetime cops, but additionally ER docs and a former Metropolis Council member. Reserve officers are certified to hold weapons, make arrests, take studies — principally in a position to execute most conventional police duties, however they aren’t paid.
A division roster reveals that he joined the drive in February 2009.
Occasions workers author Richard Winton contributed to this report.
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