Santa Monica City Employee Charged with Five Counts of Sexual Crimes

By Jorge Casuso

October 23, 2018 -- The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office on Monday charged Santa Monica City employee Eric Uller with five counts of sexual crimes against four minors, DA officials said.

Uller, whose arraignment was continued to next month, was charged with three counts of lewd acts upon a child, two counts of oral copulation of a person under 18 and one count of continuous sexual abuse, according to DA spokesman Ricardo Santiago.

The alleged incidents involving four underage boys took place when Uller, a systems analyst for the Information Services Department, was a volunteer at the local Police Activities League (PAL), according to the LA County Sheriff's Department.

Uller was arrested Thursday morning by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’ Special Victims Unit for lewd and lascivious acts with a minor 14 or 15 years old, according to Sheriffs officials ("Santa Monica City Employee Arrested for Lewd Acts with a Minor," October 18, 2018).

Uller -- who works in the public safety facility -- has been placed on administrative leave pending resolution of the charges, said Constance Farrell the City's public information officer.

Since Uller's arrest, allegations have surfaced that City officials had been told of his behavior and did nothing to address it ("High Ranking Santa Monica Officials Told About Alleged Child Molestation, School Board Member Says," October 22, 2018).

The City is retaining outside counsel to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the allegations, officials said Friday.

The victims were Latino middle school students from the Pico Neighborhood, said School Board member Oscar de la Torre.

Uller is expected back in court for arraignment November 5, Santiago said. He is being held on $750,000 bail.

Uller is the second person associated with Santa Monica PAL arrested for child molestation.

Donald Condon, a former PAL employee, was arrested in 2014 and charged with five counts of child molestation.

He pleaded guilty to “use of a camera or other device to videotape or record another person under or through their clothing without their consent or knowledge and with sexual intent.”

The incident took place while Condon was chaperoning a PAL event at Dodger Stadium in May 2014.

Condon accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to three years probation and required to register as a sex offender.