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Ex-Chicago Cop Suspected Of Posing As Officer For Free Massage


SANTA ANA (CBS) —
An ex-cop from suburban Chicago is suspected of posing as an active police officer to get a free massage at a Lake Forest massage parlor.

Edward La Porte, 47, of Mission Viejo walked into the Golden Spa massage parlor Monday and declared he was there to do an inspection, Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said. La Porte allegedly opened his jacket and showed the manager a shoulder holster with a 9-mm gun and a badge in his waistband.

"The manager thought it was legitimate and he was a police officer," Amormino said.

Amormino says La Porte walked around the massage parlor carrying a metal clip board and taking notes, and told the manager he needed a massage because his holster hurt his shoulder.

When a masseuse walked into the room, La Porte was naked. She massaged his back for 30 minutes, but when he rolled over and told her to "massage my front," she refused, Amormino said.

The manager became suspicious and called city officials to see if an inspector was sent to her business and they told her they had not, Amormino said.

La Porte also allegedly requested $200 from the manager, who told him she didn't have it. Amormino says La Porte said he would come back later to collect it.

La Porte was seen leaving in a Toyota Camry that deputies tracked to Mission Viejo, where he was arrested Wednesday. Investigators searched the home and found a gun, holster and ammunition clips.

La Porte may face additional charges, because investigators suspect there were more bogus inspections in the area, Amormino said.

La Porte was on the Arlington Heights, Ill., police force from 1997 to 2001. He now works part-time for a security agency in Yorba Linda, Amormino said.

(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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