Nov. 10 (UPI) — Los Angeles County’s chief law enforcement officer has created a task force to explore sex abuse accusations in entertainment, amid a number of new claims in the industry.
County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said Friday no cases from have been referred to the task force from local law enforcement agencies, but she said her office is prepared to handle any that might arise.
The number of claims have spiked since allegations involving film producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey were made public last month.
“I have established a task force of specially trained deputy district attorneys who are ready to evaluate these cases,” Lacey said in her announcement. “I have assigned the group of veteran sex crimes prosecutors to work together to ensure a uniformed approach to the legal review.”
The Los Angeles Police Department’s investigation of Weinstein began last month after the initial accusation. Others subsequently made similar claims. Others in the industry — like actors Spacey and Louis C.K. and filmmaker James Toback — have also become the subject of assault allegations.
The majority of cases involve women alleging abuse, but some men like actor Terry Crews have also told police they were abused.
The LAPD said Thursday some allegations are beyond their statutes of limitations. Actor Corey Feldman, 46, told police he was abused by two adults as a child actor during the 1980s.
“Robbery-Homicide detectives have no other avenues to pursue this case,” LAPD spokesman Officer Sal Ramirez said of Feldman’s case. “However, the LAPD applauds Mr. Feldman for coming forward, as an out-of-statute assault report could potentially bolster any current and forthcoming case as it creates a pattern of behavior.”
