Edward Buck, a white former Democratic donor who was arrested and held in the West Hollywood Police Station, has been charged with four additional felonies for his alleged role in the overdosing deaths of a Black, 26-year-old sex worker named Gemmel Moore and at least one other man.

Buck was arrested and taken to West Hollywood Jail in September 2019 for allegedly providing methamphetamine injections to Moore, who overdosed on the drug and died in Buck’s apartment on July 27, 2017. Buck was also suspected of involvement in the similar death of 55-year-old Black man Timothy Dean on January 7, 2019.

The four newly charged felonies against Buck include two for encouraging Moore and another man to travel interstate to engage in sex work—something that is illegal in California—one charge of knowingly and intentionally distributing methamphetamine and one charge of using his residence for the purpose of distributing narcotics.

In total, Buck now faces a total nine charges related to Moore and Dean’s deaths. A federal grand jury indicted Buck on five felony charges involving their deaths. The five charges in that indictment were three counts of distributing methamphetamine and two counts of distributing methamphetamine resulting in death.

In the October 2019 indictment, it was alleged that Buck used gay hook-up apps, social media, and a recruiter to find “vulnerable individuals who were destitute, homeless, and/or struggled with drug addiction. He would invite them to his apartment to consume drugs and perform sexual acts, a practice known as “party and play.”

Buck allegedly prepared syringes of meth—a stimulant that floods the body with physically pleasurable waves of dopamine while increasing heart rate and impairing the brain’s decision-making abilities—and injected victims with or without their consent, sometimes injecting more than they’d expected or injecting them while they lay unconscious.

After being held in West Hollywood jail, Buck is now being held in federal custody.

The Van Nuys Jail serves as a temporary holding facility for men and women who are arrested by the LAPD or California Highway Patrol in the San Fernando Valley. It is located within the Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys Community Police Station.

People who are arrested are only held at this facility until they are released on their own recognizance, (known as an “O.R.” release), post bail or are taken to court for their arraignment

 Male defendants who are taken into custody, must remain in jail either because they cannot post bail or because they have been convicted of their offense. They will generally be transferred to a larger Los Angeles County jail such as the Los Angeles Twin Towers Jail, the Pitchess Detention Center, or the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail. Generally, female defendants will be transferred to the Century Regional Detention Facility.

 Once an inmate has been booked into the Van Nuys Jail, his/her bail will be set according to the Los Angeles County Bail Schedule and based on the crime(s) for which the inmate was arrested.

“Bail” is the amount of money that is designed to assure the arresting agency and court that the defendant will make his/her court appearances after being released from jail.  A family member, friend, and anyone else can pay (or “post”) bail on an inmate’s behalf.

If someone chooses to post bail for an inmate, the Van Nuys Jail accepts four forms of bail: cash bail, cashier’s checks, money orders and bail bonds, many of which are discussed in detail in our article “How to Post Bail in California“.

To pay bail directly, do so at the Van Nuys Police Station (where the jail is located) 24 hours a day / 7 days a week.

Van Nuys Police Station is located at 6420 Sylmar Avenue Van Nuys, CA 91401 (818) 374-9645

Recently, more than 250 inmates facing misdemeanor and lower-level felonies have been released from jail. The presiding judge of Los Angeles County released them from jail to limit the spread of coronavirus by reducing the number of people behind bars.  

Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile said orders have been signed to release more than 250 people on their own recognizance in connection with the Judicial Council of California’s recent decision to set bail at zero for most misdemeanor and lower-level felony cases.

Top leaders in Los Angeles County, including District Attorney Jackie Lacey, Los Angeles County Public Defender Ricardo Garcia, Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender Erika Anzoategui and Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer vetted and agreed on lists of cases on which bail would be set at zero. Those inmates are being ordered to return to court on specific dates, according to the court, which noted that the stipulated requests will continue to be signed on an ongoing basis.

According to Brazile, justice partners in Los Angeles County are continuing to work with the court during this unprecedented public health crisis to protect public safety while achieving distance inside our courthouses and the jail system.

On March 17, 2020, the presiding judge announced that most court functions would remain on hold to allow the courts to comply with social distancing and to prevent the spread of the virus within our community. His order was subsequently extended through with courtrooms being closed for judicial business except for those handling time-sensitive, essential functions.

The order includes essential matters such as arraignments, preliminary hearings, bail review hearings, grand jury indictments and sentencing hearings in criminal cases, along with juvenile petitions, emergency protective orders, emergency writs challenging COVID-19 emergency measures and civil and family temporary restraining orders.

Brazile also instituted a 90-day grace period on all traffic and non-traffic infraction tickets.