Officer Found at ‘Rock House’ Resigns

A Los Angeles policeman who was found by undercover officers at a suspected South-Central cocaine “rock house” resigned Tuesday, a department spokesman reported.

Lamotta Jackson, 35, who had been on the force for five years, already was on suspension and was facing a board of rights hearing today for alleged cocaine use last fall, said Cmdr. William Booth.

Booth said Jackson was encountered by the undercover narcotics officers when they went to make a buy in the 3000 block of W. 36th Street on Monday afternoon. Jackson had no drugs in his possession and he was not arrested or booked.

However, Booth said, the matter would have added to the officer’s troubles at his board of rights hearing, now cancelled because of his resignation.

A second Los Angeles officer, Jerome Vaughn, 34, who had been in the department for nine years and was assigned to Southeast Division patrol, was facing similar difficulties after he reportedly was detained by other undercover officers investigating another suspected “rock house” in the 1800 block of South Highland Avenue on Tuesday morning.

While there, Booth said, the officers spotted what appeared to be a possible sidewalk narcotics purchase in progress. They approached the suspects, discovering that one of them was Vaughn. Although he had what appeared to be a narcotic-smoking pipe in his possession, Booth said, he was not booked because he had no narcotics.

“Serious administrative problems” were pending for him, Booth said.