Alleged Member Of 'Masonic Police' Dies Hours After Court Appearance

SANTA CLARITA (CBSLA.com/AP) — A Canyon Country man who allegedly claimed to belong to a secretive 3,000-year-old police agency has reportedly died following a court appearance.

David Inkk Henry, 47, appeared in court Monday on charges of perjury and impersonating a police officer after his arrest in May 2015 linked to his alleged role with the "Masonic Fraternal Police Department" (MFPD).

According to the Los Angeles Times, Henry died of a pulmonary embolism at a Newhall hospital just hours after his court appearance.

Henry, along with Brandon Kiel and Tonette Hayes, were taken into custody last year after a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigation determined that the MFPD was not a legitimate police agency.

Charges against Kiel - who was later identified as an aide to California Attorney General Kamala Harris - were dismissed during Monday's court appearance, the Santa Clarita Valley Signal reported.

Kiel is no longer a state employee, according to The Times.

That leaves Hayes, the only remaining alleged MFPD member linked to the case, facing misdemeanor counts of impersonating an officer and one misdemeanor count of unlawful use of ID.

Prosecutors say the group claimed to be descendants of the "Knights Templar" and that their police agency had been in existence for 3,000 years, with sovereign jurisdiction in 33 U.S. states and across the border in Mexico.

Suspicions about the MFPD were aroused when various police chiefs in California received a letter announcing new leadership for the group.

A Jan. 20, 2015, letter obtained by The Associated Press was sent to police chiefs in Los Angeles and Orange counties as well as copied to state Attorney General Kamala Harris.

It was written by Kiel, identified as its chief board of director, and Hayes, the grand chief director, and included a badge emblem with Henry's name below, the Associated Press reported.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)