Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Ex-Drummer For Cake Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Molesting 3-Year-Old
The ex-drummer of the band Cake was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison for molesting a 3-year-old girl at a Laurel Canyon home where he was a guest on Thanksgiving in 2009.Peter Ivan McNeal, 48, was also ordered during his sentencing yesterday to register as a sex offender for life, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. McNeal had been found guilty of one count of oral copulation on a child 10 years or younger in March 2013.
After McNeal's visit, the 3-year-old blurted out during a family dinner: "Why did that man want to put his penis in my mouth?" The girl specified it was a man who had played ball with her, and she demonstrated what happened to her parents. The victim's parents said they waited in order to be completely certain about the allegations before pursuing a case against McNeal.
McNeal was arrested for the incident in 2012. Just two weeks before his arrest, he was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of attempting to molest a 6-year-old girl. He was sentenced to three years' probation for that case. He the drummer for Cake during 2001-2004, replacing drummer Todd Roper, who appeared on their 2001 album "Comfort Eagle."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.