Ed Buck, a well-known political donor, was arrested and charged with maintaining a drug house Tuesday night following the overdose of a man at his West Hollywood residence.
The 65-year-old—who is described in multiple reports as, among other things, a "prominent California Democratic Party donor"—is alleged to have injected meth into a 37-year-old man identified as Joe Doe earlier this month, perReuters. The man suffered an overdose but survived, with Buck now in custody ahead of a Wednesday court arraignment.
In a statement, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said "new evidence" resulted in the criminal charges against Buck being authorized.
"I remain deeply concerned for the safety of people whose life circumstances may make them more vulnerable to criminal predators," Lacey said.
Buck—whose recommended bail is listed as $4 million—was charged with one felony count each of maintaining a drug house, battery causing serious injury, and administering meth. In their motion, prosecutors described Buck as a "violent, dangerous sexual predator" and accused him of preying on men who are vulnerable due to "addiction and homelessness."
The previous deaths at Buck's apartment of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean are also mentioned in the motion, per CBS LA. Attorney Hussain Turk, who represents the Moore family, criticized what he characterized as a delayed reaction from authorities in a statement released upon Buck's arrest.
"We believe that the third overdose could have been avoided," he said. "We believe that the death of Timothy Dean could have also been avoided had they taken the death of Gemmel Moore seriously."
Buck now faces a potential max sentence of five years and eight months behind bars if a conviction is reached.
