Longtime KABC Medical Correspondent Dr. Bruce M. Hensel Arrested Attempt Sex With Minor

PACIFIC PALISADES, LOS ANGELES (THECOUNT) — Dr. Bruce M. Hensel, a former longtime medical correspondent for ABC7 in Los Angeles, was arrested Wednesday morning on suspicion of contacting a minor with intent to commit sexual acts, authorities said.

Hensel, 71, was taken into custody about 10:15 a.m. by investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Juvenile Division, a spokesperson for the agency said. He was being held on $5,000 bail, the station reported on Wednesday afternoon.

On Oct. 16, members of the Los Angeles Regional Internet Crime Against Children Task Force served a search warrant at Hensel’s home in Pacific Palisades. Items were removed from the hillside house as part of the investigation, an LAPD spokesperson said.

Additional details about the case were not immediately disclosed.

Hensel was a medical correspondent for KNBC for nearly three decades and had prior stints at NBC in New York and KCOP in Los Angeles. In addition to his reporting on medical issues for KNBC, he was known for answering viewer questions on the station’s “Ask Dr. Bruce” segment. He won multiple Emmys for his work in addition to honors from medical organizations.

An online biography indicates Hensel also served as a medical professor at UCLA and hosted a nationally syndicated call-in radio show.

Last year he co-directed and produced a documentary about transgender relationships entitled “Beyond the Opposite Sex,” which aired on Showtime.

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Geo quick facts: The Pacific Palisades is an affluent residential neighborhood tucked between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Temescal Gateway Park offers hiking trails with sweeping coastline views, and the sandy Will Rogers State Beach provides access to a 22-mile beachfront bike path. Landmarks include the sumptuous Getty Villa museum showcasing Greek and Roman antiquities, and the mid-century modern Eames House – wikipedia.