Deputy D.A. Held for Alleged Drug Possession

A veteran Los Angeles County deputy district attorney faces cocaine possession charges after his arrest by colleagues outside a Van Nuys restaurant earlier this week.

Jack White, chief of investigations for the district attorney’s office, would not reveal how much cocaine prosecutor Simon R. Hiller allegedly had, but he said “it does not qualify for a sale case.”

Hiller, 45, an Encino resident who has prosecuted defendants on charges ranging from murder to bank fraud during his 15-year career, was placed on administrative leave Wednesday after the arrest.

“I really can’t give you any comment,” Hiller said.

District attorney’s investigators took up the case after an employee went to White with the allegation that Hiller, who worked for both the Santa Monica and Van Nuys offices, was involved with drugs.