Officer Arrested on Intimidation Charges

A veteran Los Angeles Police Department detective has been arrested on charges she tried to intimidate potential witnesses in the 1996 trial of her boyfriend, a three-strike felon serving a life sentence and described by authorities as a serial stalker.

Det. Connie Howell, 46, of the LAPD’s Central Division, is charged with stalking and attempting to intimidate two women scheduled to testify against Gordon Elliot Acker, as well as harassing a third potential witness, authorities said. Howell is also accused of illegally using LAPD computer records in connection with the case.

Los Angeles police officials would not elaborate on the charges against Howell, who has worked for the department 13 years. She is scheduled to be arraigned on the felony charges today.

Howell’s arrest by internal affairs investigators Tuesday is connected with her alleged efforts to save Acker, according to court records and prosecutors.

In an arrest warrant made public Wednesday, Howell is accused of threatening three women, including Melissa Benton, the Long Beach woman who was stalked by Acker in 1995 and which sent him to prison.

The two other women, Karen Carlson and Cindy Ludwig, were listed as potential witnesses who were to testify about Acker’s “stalking-type behavior,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Corene Locke-Noble.

Locke-Noble refused to comment on Howell’s arrest. But she said that during the time Acker was on trial, Howell’s statements “to some of my witnesses caused my witnesses to become very upset, very fearful. Ultimately, those witnesses never made it to the stand.”

Acker, who had two felony convictions before he was found guilty of stalking Benton, is serving a prison sentence of 60 years to life.

In Benton’s case, the young woman had noticed Acker following her for months before he acted.

One day after coming home from a jog, she was undressing for a shower when, as she walked toward the bathroom, she saw his reflection in the television screen of her living room, prosecutors said.

Benton screamed and Acker ran from her apartment, Locke-Noble said.

Long Beach police arrested Acker.

During his trial, the prosecutor said she put three other witnesses on the stand who testified that Acker had harassed or stalked them.

“This man was stalking women for more than 20 years in the Long Beach area,” she said. “I have no doubt in my mind that if he had not been taken off the streets, he would have either killed someone or raped someone.”

Court records show Acker was convicted in 1978 of first-degree burglary. In 1981, he was found guilty in Orange County of assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury.

In that case, he attacked a woman in her home, Locke-Noble said.

“That was another stalking case, before stalking laws were on the books,” she said.

Locke-Noble said she did not know how Acker, 54, and Howell met. Acker was married during their affair, and remained married until he was sent to prison.

Howell was being held at the Parker Center Jail in lieu of $425,000 bail.

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Times staff writer Matt Lait contributed to this story.