Brother Of Vegas Shooter To Stand Trial On Child Porn Charge In LA
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner Friday ordered the brother of Las Vegas mass shooter Stephen Paddock to stand trial on a single felony count of possession of more than 600 images of child or youth pornography.
On Oct. 25 of last year, 59-year-old Bruce Paddock was arrested at an assisted living home on the 5300 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard in North Hollywood after Los Angeles police were tipped off to alleged pornographic materials on his computer.
The arrest came just weeks after his 64-year-old brother Stephen opened fire on concertgoers at an outdoor country music festival on the Las Vegas strip, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more.
On Friday, L.A. Superior Court Commissioner Kristi Lousteau dismissed 19 misdemeanor counts of sexual exploitation of a child against Bruce Paddock, agreeing with the defense's argument that the statute of limitations had expired on those charges.
The misdemeanor counts involved alleged crimes between January 2014 and August 2014.
Paddock, who is free on bail and appeared in court in a wheelchair, had no comment on the case after the hearing.
He is due back on court March 16 for arraignment on the remaining felony count.
Paddock was arrested after evidence was found at a Sun Valley business. Paddock had been squatting at the business after being evicted, police said.
The investigation into Bruce Paddock pre-dated the Oct. 1 mass shooting, police said. When the investigation began, he couldn't be immediately located because he was homeless.
(©2018 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
