Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck says the LAPD will investigate any claims of sexual assault it receives against Bill Cosby, including those for which the statute of limitations for prosecution has already passed, though the department has not yet received any complaints. From the Los Angeles Times:
Under California law, the legal deadline for prosecuting a rape allegation involving an adult victim is 10 years. Serious assaults involving minors can be prosecuted if the incident occurred in 1988 or later.
But LAPD officials said there were many reasons to investigate sexual assault allegations that fall beyond those legal deadlines. Old accusations may lead investigators to more recent incidents with other victims. They may also lead detectives to perpetrators — such as teachers or day care workers — who might still have access to potential victims.
Several of the women who have publicly accused Cosby have said that he assaulted them in Los Angeles, including a woman named Judy Huth who filed a lawsuit this week alleging she was sexually abused at the Playboy Mansion after she met Cosby when he was 15. (One of Cosby’s attorneys says her allegations are false and that she attempted to extort Cosby before filing the suit.
