Former Los Angeles County deputy charged with sexual assault for giving meth to 14-year-old girl

A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy faces charges for allegedly giving meth and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Benny Caluya, 68, was arrested a few weeks ago in connection with the case. He pleaded not guilty Monday to one count of lewd act on a child and one count of supplying a controlled substance to a minor.

His nephew, Clifford Abihai, 49, was also arrested and pleaded not guilty this week to one count of furnishing a controlled substance to a minor.

“Today we stand firmly in solidarity with this brave teenage survivor, a young girl whose vulnerability was exploited,” said Dist. Atty. George Gascón said in a statement. “It is particularly egregious that a former police officer sexually exploited a young girl and, together with his accomplice, supplied her with methamphetamine.”

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Gascón called the alleged acts “reprehensible” and vowed to “hold these perpetrators accountable for their heinous actions.”

If convicted, Caluya could face almost ten years in prison, while Abihai would face a maximum of nine years in prison.

Mark Gallagher, an attorney representing Caluya, declined to comment. Abihai previously told the Times that he had hired a lawyer but could not remember his lawyer’s name.

According to prosecutors, Caluya and Abihai picked up a 14-year-old girl who was walking alone in Lancaster in late August. The two men then allegedly gave her methamphetamine and Caluya is accused of sexually abusing the girl at his home in Lancaster. It is not clear from court records how long the alleged attack lasted, how long she was at the former deputy’s home and how law enforcement learned about it.

Prison records indicate that these were the men Both were arrested Aug. 28 by Lancaster sheriff’s deputiesthen taken to jail and later released after the court granted them bail. Caluya was released on $250,000 bail while Abihai was released on $100,000 bail.

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According to state records, Caluya began his law enforcement career in 1979 when he became a reserve deputy in Los Angeles. He then worked as a deputy in the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for just over a year before returning to LA County as a deputy in 1982.

He resigned in 2001 for unclear reasons, according to the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. State records show his peace officer certification is no longer active.

The current criminal case is being prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Sex Crimes Unit and investigated by the Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau. The next court date is scheduled for Nov. 12 at the Antelope Valley Courthouse.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.