A Los Angeles police officer was convicted Tuesday of attempting to commit lewd acts on a 12-year-old girl and exposing himself to four women in the Bolsa Chica wetlands, prosecutors said.

Jurors found Ryan Eric Galliher, 33, of Huntington Beach guilty of a felony count of attempted lewd act upon a child under 14 years old, a felony count of contacting a minor with the intent to commit a lewd act, six misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and a misdemeanor count of engaging in lewd conduct, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Galliher faces up to four years in prison, prosecutors said. He must also register as a lifetime sex offender. Galliher is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 18.

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Galliher was off-duty at the time of the incidents, but was still employed with the Los Angeles Police Department. He was hired in late 2011 and had been working at LAPD’s Southwest Division until he was arrested. Galliher was assigned to home pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.

LAPD Officer Ricardo Hernandez said Galliher was still employed with the department as of Tuesday afternoon. The decision to relieve Galliher of his duties rests in the hands of Police Chief Charlie Beck.

Galliher was arrested on Oct. 23, 2014, after Huntington Beach police detectives saw him “commit a lewd act” along a pathway near Bolsa Chica Street south of Los Patos Avenue, Huntington Beach police Lt. Mitch O’Brien said at the time.

According to prosecutors, Galliher walked out of the wetlands, pulled down his pants and began masturbating.


Detectives were monitoring the area because they received about a half-dozen reports of a man exposing himself, O’Brien said.

His victims included women between 18 to 80 years old, prosecutors said.

The youngest victim was 12. Prosecutors said Galliher approached her on Feb. 27, 2014, in the ecological preserve, exposed himself and asked her to touch his penis. The following month, he approached the girl again near Bolsa Chica Street and exposed himself to her, prosecutors said.

In one instance, Galliher stood naked near a path in the wetlands, wearing only tennis shoes, prosecutors said.


Los Angeles Times staff writer Kate Mather contributed to this report.

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