Mission Hills : Man Denies Guilt in Police Records Case

The owner of a Mission Hills private investigation firm pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of receiving confidential information from a Los Angeles police officer, a prosecutor said.

Thomas Whiteaker of Whiteaker Investigative Services was arraigned in Los Angeles Municipal Court on 10 counts of receiving confidential criminal records and one count of conspiracy to receive criminal history materials.

Whiteaker and retired Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Daniel R. Sullivan are accused of receiving confidential information from Walter Ray Bentley Jr., a police officer who resigned from the force after being arrested on child pornography charges last year.

A hearing has been set Aug. 10 for Whiteaker, who has filed a motion asking the court to order the return of a computer, three guns and about 35 files that authorities seized during a search of his office, Deputy Dist. Atty. Alan Yokelson said. A pretrial hearing was set for Aug. 16.

Yokelson, who is prosecuting the three men, alleged that Whiteaker was given information about a murder witness relocated for protection, and information on actor Todd Bridges, who has had run-ins with the law.

Sullivan pleaded not guilty last month to the same charges facing Whiteaker.

Bentley pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of illegally accessing department computers to obtain confidential information. A preliminary hearing for Bentley is scheduled for Aug. 19.

Officers may access the department’s computer to retrieve information, but they are required to sign a pledge not to misuse their privileges. Computer records include information about arrests that never resulted in a charge, and therefore are not public information.