Sex Offender Suspected Of Assaulting Teen During Driving Lessons
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Sheriff's detectives Thursday sought additional possible victims of a 56-year-old registered sex offender arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl taking driving lessons from him in the Rowland Heights area.
The victim went to authorities on March 12 to allege that she was sexually assaulted by suspect Tom Mantung Lam, who had been hired in June to give her six driving lessons, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
"The first four driving lessons were given without incident," according to a sheriff's statement that alleges Lam sexually assaulted the teen during the final two lessons.
"During the course of the investigation, (the sheriff's) Special Victims Bureau learned the suspect in this case is a registered sex offender and was arrested by (the) Monterey Park Police Department on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014, for annoying or molesting a minor ... while acting as a driving instructor," according to the sheriff's department.
Lam was arrested on Friday at his home in Montclair and was booked at the sheriff's Walnut Station on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor. He was released from custody on Sunday after posting $140,000 bail and is due in court on April 8, according to the sheriff's department.
Investigators believe there may be additional victims and urge anyone with information to contact the Special Victims Bureau at (877) 710-5273. The bureau can also be reached by sending an email to specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
