LAPD officer pleads guilty

[JSL0506]

WESTMINSTER - A former Los Angeles Police Department veteran pleaded guilty today to secretly taking sexually suggestive photographs of young girls at the 2007 Garden Grove Strawberry Festival.

Ralph Cameron Lakin, 55, La Palma, was convicted of eight misdemeanor counts of secretly photographing underage girls for sexual gratification.

He was sentenced to four years of formal probation, given 100 hours of community service, and he ordered to register as a sex offender.

Witnesses spotted Lakin shooting photos of young girls he did not know in May 2007 during the Strawberry Festival, according to a statement from the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Police later discovered that Lakin took more than 90 digital pictures of young girls who appeared to be between 4 and 13 years old. Many of the photos were sexually suggestive, prosecutors said.

A father of a 5-year-old girl grabbed Lakin after he was spotted taking a picture of the girl as she climbed out of a wagon following the Strawberry Festival parade, prosecutors said.

Garden Grove detectives later discovered nearly 150 sexually suggestive photographs of young girls on Lakin's home computer, including one image of a nude girl who appeared to be less than 4-years-old.

Lakin, a 10-year veteran of LAPD assigned to the Parker Center reviewing excessive force cases, retired from the LAPD in February 2008.



Did this guy continue to earn a salary from the incident to retirement?

[R1pilot]

Jesus Christ on a rubber crutch, what is the matter with these people?

[VChopefull]

Disgusting.........

I wish there was some way that these people who are into kids could satisfy their need with out victimizing children and creating public scenes...

Fricken sicko

Ridiculous.....Exactly what the LAPD needs is more bad press.

[Garbage Man]

I wish there was some way that these people who are into kids could satisfy their need with out victimizing children and creating public scenes...



Yeah like putting a loaded gun to their heads and pulling the trigger until the lights go out. Ok maybe they wouldn't find that satisfying but I would. Who cares about them finding a way to satisfy themselves? There are somethings that are wrong because you did them (Bank robbery) and somethings that are wrong because you wanted to do them (Child molestation, rape)

Love the sentence, nice wrist slap..hopefully he will take my suggestion.

I wish we executed all child molesters and I wish I had the job of killing them, I'd go to work everyday with a smile on my face and go home at the end of the day knowing I made the world a better place. What more could you ask for?

[avalon42]

Wow...he must have signed on before the psych caught this...I hope.

[IronBruin]

Yeah like putting a loaded gun to their heads and pulling the trigger until the lights go out. Ok maybe they wouldn't find that satisfying but I would. Who cares about them finding a way to satisfy themselves? There are somethings that are wrong because you did them (Bank robbery) and somethings that are wrong because you wanted to do them (Child molestation, rape)

Love the sentence, nice wrist slap..hopefully he will take my suggestion.

I wish we executed all child molesters and I wish I had the job of killing them, I'd go to work everyday with a smile on my face and go home at the end of the day knowing I made the world a better place. What more could you ask for?

Haha, best post ever. Well said sir.

[El_Federal]

Yeah like putting a loaded gun to their heads and pulling the trigger until the lights go out. Ok maybe they wouldn't find that satisfying but I would. Who cares about them finding a way to satisfy themselves? There are somethings that are wrong because you did them (Bank robbery) and somethings that are wrong because you wanted to do them (Child molestation, rape)

Love the sentence, nice wrist slap..hopefully he will take my suggestion.

I wish we executed all child molesters and I wish I had the job of killing them, I'd go to work everyday with a smile on my face and go home at the end of the day knowing I made the world a better place. What more could you ask for?

i second that IronBruin...great post

[JSL0506]

WESTMINSTER – The wife of the man who grabbed a former Los Angeles Police Department veteran after he saw him taking a picture of his young daughter said today that she has bittersweet feelings about the officer's guilty plea.

Ralph Cameron Lakin, 55, of La Palma, was convicted of eight misdemeanor counts of secretly photographing underage girls for sexual gratification. Lakin pleaded guilty Tuesday to secretly taking sexually suggestive photographs of young girls at the 2007 Garden Grove Strawberry Festival.

He was sentenced to four years of formal probation, given 100 hours of community service, and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Mark Dornan, the father of a 5-year-old girl, grabbed Lakin after he saw him taking a picture of his daughter as she climbed out of a wagon following the Strawberry Festival parade, prosecutors said. Dornan is the son of former California Congressman Bob Dornan.

"I felt somewhat justified that he had to stand up in an open court and plead guilty to those charges," said Annamarie Dornan, Mark Dornan's wife, about Tuesday's court proceeding.

However, the family's lives have been turned upside down since the incident at the Strawberry Festival, she said. They moved out of state in October after receiving a letter threatening her daughter, Annamarie Dornan said.

"We are like prisoners in our own home," she said. "We don't go out to fairs or festivals any more. Our children are home-schooled. But (Lakin) gets four years of probation and gets to comfortably retire from his job at the LAPD. How is that fair?"

Lakin broke his promise to "serve and protect" the public, Annamarie Dornan said.

"Shouldn't he have gone to jail for hiding behind a badge and victimizing innocent children?" she said.

Witnesses spotted Lakin shooting photos of young girls he did not know during the Strawberry Festival, according to a statement from the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Police later discovered that Lakin took more than 90 digital pictures of young girls who appeared to be between 4 and 13 years old. Many of the photos were sexually suggestive, prosecutors said.

Garden Grove detectives discovered nearly 150 sexually suggestive photographs of young girls on Lakin's home computer, including one image of a nude girl who appeared to be less than 4-years-old.

Lakin, a 10-year veteran of LAPD assigned to the Parker Center reviewing excessive force cases, retired from the LAPD in February 2008.

[AWarr]

Dornan is the son of former California Congressman Bob Dornan.



Huh....
I wonder is this help expedite the case :confused:

[Flanker]

Good to see that this officer made it through the intensive background investigation.

[Garbage Man]

B-1 Bob made more enemies than friend in local politics. His son got no favors.

As I undertsand it the suspect was nt an LAPD cop to begin with. He was some sort of Bratton transfer guy who never really worked the streets. I dont remember al the details as it was not my case. They dont let me work the sex offenders for obvious reasons. :D

[El_Federal]

safeguards, Garbage man, safeguards

[VChopefull]

Garbageman: I think your the perfect man to head up the "Sex crimes" unit. Agressive approach I am sure you would have. lol