UPDATE | A Los Angeles Police Department officer accused of attempting a lewd act with a 12-year-old girl and repeatedly exposing himself to five female victims—including two Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) students—was found guilty on Tuesday.
After a 3.5 hour deliberation, jurors convicted Ryan Eric Galliher on one count each of attempted lewd conduct and contacting a minor to commit a lewd act, both felonies. He was also convicted of six counts of indecent exposure and a count of lewd conduct in public, all misdemeanors.
Galliher faces up to eight years behind bars and must register as a sex offender for life, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Jess Rodriguez said.
The defendant, who had been free on $100,000 bail, was immediately taken into custody.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 18.
City News Service contributed to this report.
PREVIOUSLY: LAPD Cop Faces Trial for Flashing 5 Victims, Including Long Beach State Athletes
11/17/15 at 6:40PM | The trial against a Los Angeles Police Department officer accused of an attempted lewd act with a 12-year-old girl and exposing himself near the Huntington Beach wetlands to five female victims—including two Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) students—began on Tuesday in Orange County.
Huntington Beach resident Ryan Eric Galliher, 33, is charged with one felony count of attempted lewd act upon a child under 14 years old, one felony count of contacting a minor with the intent to commit a lewd act, six misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure, and one misdemeanor count of engaging in lewd conduct, according to officials with the Orange County District Attorney’s office.
At the time of the crimes, Galliher was employed as an officer with the LAPD.
Authorities said Galliher allegedly approached a 12-year-old girl in the Bolsa Chica wetlands area on February 27, 2014 and exposed his penis to her, asking the victim to touch it.
On March 10, 2014, Galliher again approached the girl near Bolsa Chica Street in Huntington Beach and exposed his penis to her, according to OCDA officials.
Then, April 18, 2014, Galliher allegedly approached an 80-year-old woman who was walking near Bolsa Chica Street and exposed his penis to her.
On June 17, 2014, standing naked and wearing only tennis shoes, Galliher allegedly exposed himself to a 43-year-old woman walking in the Bolsa Chica wetlands area.
The defendant is accused of standing in an open parking lot on Bolsa Chica Street and exposing his penis and masturbating in public between August 1, 2014 and October 1, 2014, officials said.
A man witnessed the incident and reported it after seeing a Huntington Beach Police Department press release looking for more victims, according to the OCDA’s office.
On October 20, 2014, Galliher allegedly stood naked in the Bolsa Chica wetlands area and whistled at, and exposed himself to, two Cal State Long Beach female athletes—ages 18 and 19—who were jogging.
On October 23, 2014, authorities allege Galliher walked out of the wetlands, pulled down his shorts to expose his penis and masturbated in public.
Officers with the HBPD who were patrolling the area located and arrested him at the scene based on the description previously reported by the victims.
The OCDA filed charges against Galliher on November 4, 2014 and HBPD officers arrested the defendant later that evening. He subsequently posted bail set at $100,000, officials said.
“Ryan (Eric) Galliher likes exposing himself in public, in broad daylight to strangers,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Jess Rodriguez said in his opening statement. “He acted out on this desire over and over and over again until he was finally caught by the Huntington Beach Police Department in the act.”
The 12-year-old, who liked taking a shortcut home through the wetlands, first saw the suspect in February of last year, Rodriguez said. She was frolicking with friends on a rope swing in the wetlands when “she sees the defendant look at her and her friends with one hand rubbing his crotch,” the prosecutor alleged.
Several days later, on February 27, she was walking home from school by herself when she saw the suspect again, Rodriguez said.
“This time his penis is actually exposed, sticking out of his shorts,” the prosecutor alleged.
The flasher, who was a few feet away, asked the girl, “Is this big enough?” Rodriguez alleged. “Then he tells her, ‘You can touch it if you want to.’”
The girl was taking the long way home to avoid the suspect on March 10 when she encountered him again, Rodriguez said.
She heard the man’s voice behind her and turned around to see him exposing himself, the prosecutor alleged. The girl walked into an apartment complex and a woman there helped her
contact police, Rodriguez said.
The defendant’s attorney, Bill Seki, said his client has alibis for some of the dates in question.
“This is a case of faulty ID and a faulty investigation,” Seki said.
The attorney said Galliher joined the LAPD after a stint in the military in a unit charged with “protecting the president.”
There were actually 10 flashing reports in the wetlands area, but Galliher is only charged with six incidents because in those other instances, the victims “were so sure that’s not him,” Seki said.
“After listening to all of the evidence in this case, you’re going to hear identification in this case is not trustworthy,” Seki said.
Pointing to his client, Seki said, “This is a person of great character. He’s trustworthy. He’s reliable. He’s not a deviant.”
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration, according to district officials.
City News Service contributed to this report.