Harvey Willgoose's family speaks outside court
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Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ex-LAPD officer arrested on suspicion of home burglaries in area he once patrolled
A former Los Angeles police officer has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a series of burglaries in San Fernando Valley neighborhoods that he used to patrol, according to department sources and jail records. Eric Halem, 37, was arrested Thursday afternoon by members of the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division and is being held without bail, according to online jail records. He is set to be arraigned on Monday. It's unclear whether he has retained a defense attorney. Details about the alleged crimes are murky, but several department sources — who requested anonymity to discuss the open case — said he was suspected of links to home invasions that occurred in the West Valley Division, where Halem worked until several years ago. The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The West Valley includes Encino, an affluent area that has been on edge following a series of home break-ins, including one that caused the deaths of "American Idol" music supervisor Robin Kaye and her rock musician husband, Tom DeLuca. That case rekindled concerns about safety in the area and led the LAPD to step up patrols. A suspect with a history of mental illness has been charged with the couple's murders. Halem resigned from the LAPD and opted to join the department's reserve officer program in 2024, where he remained until this March when he was charged with insurance fraud. During his LAPD career, he made a name for himself with side businesses as a security consultant and by renting out luxury cars to music artists and celebrities. In 2019, he was hired to provide security for Randall Emmett, an action move producer. Emmett was the subject of a 2022 Times investigation and subsequent Hulu documentary that surfaced allegations of abuse against women and assistants as well as mistreatment of assistants and business partners. Emmett has denied the allegations. Around the same time, Halem landed small roles in TV shows like 'Vanderpump Rules' and 'Midnight in the Switchgrass.' Earlier this year he and his brother were charged with insurance fraud over what prosecutors alleged was an elaborate insurance fraud scheme related to a Bentley crash in January 2023. Court records show that LAPD internal affairs investigators were looking into similar allegations against Halem near the end of his department career. Halem pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of insurance fraud on Friday. His brother Jacob Halem, 32, also pleaded not guilty to a count of insurance fraud. Eric Halem ran several car rental companies, Kaypr and Drive LA, which boasted a fleet of rare, luxury vehicles, including a 2020 Bentley Continental GT and a neon green Lamborghini Urus. Prosecutors allege Halem told told his insurance company that his brother had borrowed the Bentley and crashed it on Jan. 5, 2023. But police investigation revealed that the Bentley had been rented by a Drive LA client who wrecked it three days prior. After the rental driver's insurance claim was denied because of a lack of proper coverage, Eric Halem filed a fraudulent claim for more than $200,000 with his insurance company on his personal policy, misrepresenting details of the accident, authorities allege. Halem was stripped of his reserve police powers in March after the criminal case against him was announced. The LAPD reserve program that Halem was part of dates to World War II, and today reserves number in the 300s, and its membership over the years has included not only onetime cops, but also ER doctors and a former City Council member. Reserve officers are qualified to carry guns, make arrests, take reports — basically able to execute most traditional police duties, but they aren't paid. A department roster shows that he joined the force in February 2009. Times staff writer contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Man who used car as ‘dangerous weapon' jailed for more than six years
A driver has been sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison after using his car as a 'highly dangerous weapon' to collide with a pedestrian. Ashley Sherred, 33, of Southampton Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and dangerous driving in June, and was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on Friday. He was also sentenced for dangerous driving in relation to another incident, where he fled from police and rammed a police vehicle. On May 10, Sherred was captured on CCTV driving a blue Ford Fiesta while seemingly 'on something' doing wheel spins and handbrake turns in Pinewood Close, Salisbury. When the victim came out of his property to see what was happening, Sherred mounted the curb and deliberately collided with him, severely breaking his leg. As the defendant drove off at high speed, he threatened to return and burn their house down, the court heard. There was some suggestion that he did it as 'revenge' because someone in the victim's family had started dating his ex-girlfriend. When Sherred was arrested by police at a nearby pub later that day he reportedly told police 'yeah and he deserved it'. The victim's leg was described as 'swinging and hanging off' and, in a witness statement, he told the court 'there is still a chance I could lose my foot' and that doctors are not sure he will recover full movement in his leg. Judge Rufus Taylor said: 'You're in the middle of this close, driving extremely dangerously driving round and round on the grass. 'Your eyes were described as going everywhere looking crazy like you were on something.' 'You drove straight at him (the victim), you mounted the curb and collided with him, (the victim's) son witnessed it and described his father being thrown up in the air'. Sherred received five years and seven months for the attack and a year and a half concurrent for driving dangerously. He was also sentenced for an earlier incident of dangerous driving from August 31 last year, where he 'rammed' a police car while driving at double the legal intoxication limit. On that occasion, once he was caught, he told police he'd had 'nine pints of Guinness and a gram of cocaine' after being clocked travelling at up to 110mph. Sherred, this time driving a Honda CR-V SUV, drove at excessive speeds towards a police car, before braking and evading, then crashing into a fence outside a house and later driving on the wrong side of a junction. When he was caught, he reversed into a police car six times 'effectively ramming it each time' before both cars finally came to a stop. Judge Taylor called it the 'worst possible case of dangerous driving' as he ignored the rules of the road, evaded police, was intoxicated, and rammed a police car. Sherred received a further year and three months concurrent for that offence bringing his total sentence to six years and 10 months. He was also disqualified from driving for four years from the day of his release.
CBS News
15 minutes ago
- CBS News
Detroit police search for suspect accused of damaging woman's car at gas station
The Detroit Police Department is searching for an individual accused of damaging a woman's car on Wednesday at a gas station. The incident happened at about 3:26 p.m., Aug. 6, in the 19300 block of W. Seven Mile Road. Police say the suspect allegedly broke the rear wiper arm off the 55-year-old woman's 2025 Ford Escape. Police say the individual then got in a black sedan with a male driver and left the gas station. Police say the gas station is part of the city's Project Green Light, meaning there are cameras installed at the location that connect to DPD's headquarters. Police released photos of the individual and the suspect vehicle. Detroit police did not release any additional information on the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call DPD's eighth precinct at 313-596-5840 or Crime Stoppers at 800-Speak Up.
