LGBTQ political activist and prominent donor to the Democratic Party Ed Buck was arrested Tuesday, September 17 after a third alleged victim of meth overdose called 911 after nearly dying in Buck’s apartment last week.
Prosecutors are calling Buck a “violent sexual predator who preys on men struggling with addiction and homelessness,” according to the LA Times.
Buck is accused of injecting the 37-year-old victim with methamphetamine on Tuesday, September 11 at Buck’s West Hollywood resident, where the man over dosed, but survived and called 911.
“I remain deeply concerned for the safety of people whose life circumstances may make them more vulnerable to criminal predators,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said. “With this new evidence, I authorized the filing of criminal charges against Ed Buck.”
Buck was charged with one felony count of battery causing serious injury, one felony count of administering methamphetamine and one felony count of maintaining a drug house, according to the LA County district attorney’s office.
The arrest came months after activists and relatives of Buck’s previous alleged victims called on Lacey for criminal charges for the suspicious deaths of 26-year-old Gemmel Moore in 2017 and 55-year-old Timothy Dean this past January.
Prosecutors are recommending bail be set at $4 million. If convicted as charged, Buck faces a possible maximum sentence of five years and eight months in state prison. Buck is due in court today for his arraignment.
Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes of the Major Crimes Division is prosecuting the case. The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Check back on the thepridela.com for updates.
