Retired LA Deputy Charged With Sexually Assaulting Girl, 14

LOS ANGELES, CA — A retired Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl after giving her methamphetamine, the District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday

Benny Vincente Caluya Jr., 68, faces one felony count each of lewd act on a child aged 14 or 15 and sale or furnishing a controlled substance to a minor in connection with an August incident at his home in Lancaster, according to investigators.

According to prosecutors, Caluya and his nephew Clifford Leimana Abihai, 49, picked up the teenager as she walked alone between Aug. 27 and Aug. 28. They allegedly gave her methamphetamine and brought her back to Caluya's home.

Caluya is accused of sexually assaulting the girl. Abihai has been charged with one felony count of sale or furnishing a controlled substance to a minor.

Both men have pleaded not guilty and are free on bond that was posted last month, according to the District Attorney's Office.

"Benny Caluya separated from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in 2001," according to a statement released last month by the department.

Caluya first joined the department as a reserve deputy in 1979, according to the Los Angeles Times, which cited records from the state's Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training,

Caluya then worked as a deputy at the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department for a little more than a year before returning to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as a deputy in 1982, The Times reported.

In 2001, Caluya resigned "for unclear reasons," according to The Times, which reported that state records show his peace officer certification is no longer active.

Caluya and Abihai are due back in a Lancaster courtroom Nov. 12, when a date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against them to proceed to trial.

"Today, we stand firmly in solidarity with this courageous teenage survivor, a young girl whose vulnerability was exploited, said District Attorney George Gascón. "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."

"These reprehensible acts are utterly unacceptable," he added. We have a solemn obligation to ensure her voice is not only heard but amplified, and that she receives the comprehensive support she desperately needs through our Bureau of Victim Services. We will pursue justice with unwavering resolve, holding these offenders accountable for their heinous actions.”

If convicted, Caluya faces a maximum sentence of nine years and eight months in prison, and Abihai faces a maximum sentence of nine years in prison.

City News Service contributed to this report.