Uller Free on Bail, No Longer City Employee

By Jorge Casuso

November 9, 2018 -- Eric Uller, who pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges he sexually abused children as a Police Activities League (PAL) volunteer two decades ago, is free after posting bail but is no longer an employee of the City.

The LA County District Attorney's office confirmed Uller had posted bail and would return to court next Thursday to set a date for a preliminary hearing.

Debbie Lee, the City's Chief Communications officer, said Uller no longer works for the City but declined to say whether he had resigned or been fired.

"He's no longer an employee of the City," Lee said. "We can't share more than that right now. It's a personnel matter."

Uller, 50, 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 the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.

The charges involve four victims who participated at PAL in the 1990s ("Santa Monica City Employee Charged with Five Counts of Sexual Crimes," October 23, 2018).

Since Uller's arrest last month, six more alleged victims have come forward., according to the LA County Sheriff's Department.

The incidents, which are part of an ongoing investigation, took place from the late 80s until possibly 2010, when Uller had access to hundreds of children as a PAL volunteer, according to the Sheriff's department.

The City announced last month it was launching an internal investigation into allegations City officials were warned about Uller's behavior and took no action ("Santa Monica City Officials Take Additional Actions as Sexual Assault Crisis Expands," October 25, 2018).