Ex-officer pleads guilty in groping case
A former San Diego police officer accused of touching women inappropriately while performing pat-down searches pleaded guilty Friday to felony and misdemeanor charges.
Christopher Hays, 30, appeared at a status conference in San Diego Superior Court, where he entered pleas to one count of false imprisonment and two misdemeanor counts of assault under color of authority, which carry a maximum term of five years in prison.
The charges are pegged to incidents in October and December, involving three women identified in court documents as Jane Doe Nos. 1-3.
Other charges filed against Hay, including sexual battery, were dismissed.
Judge Charles Rogers noted that the prosecutor is free to argue for a prison term at sentencing, but indicated he would likely place Hays on probation. As a condition of probation, Hays could be ordered to serve up to a year in county jail.
Defense attorney Kerry Armstrong said Hays plans to ask for permission to leave the state after he’s sentenced on Sept. 26.
“He just wants to return to his home state of Arkansas,” Armstrong said.
The defense lawyer explained that Hays took the plea deal under a legal precedent that allowed him to plead guilty without admitting to the prosecution’s version of the events. Hays pleaded guilty, Armstrong said, “not because he did it, but because it’s in his best interest.”
Had he been convicted in a trial, he would have faced prison time and would have been ordered to register as a sex offender for life, Armstrong said.
Hays resigned from the Police Department in February, shortly after he was charged.
Three women testified at a hearing in April that they felt violated and afraid when Hays touched them in an inappropriate and sexual manner while conducting pat-down searches.
One women testified that Hays offered to drive her home late Dec. 23 after contacting her as she was leaving a bar. He then followed her into her apartment and into her bedroom, where he stood between her bed and the door. The victim testified that Hays, who was on duty and in uniform, directed her to lift up her clothing, exposing part of her breasts. She reported the incident to police.
Investigators found other women who said they’d had similar encounters with the officer. One testified she got lost Dec. 23 on El Cajon Boulevard while collecting recyclables. She said Hays offered her a ride home and then groped her in a driveway.
Another woman testified that Hays offered to drive her home from a bus stop on Oct. 30. She said Hays, who had arrested her about a month earlier, took her to a secluded area behind a strip mall, fondled her and forced her to touch his body.
A fourth alleged victim did not testify at the preliminary hearing.
“My client feels very vindicated that Officer Hays admitted what he did and that the story that she told was, in fact, the truth,” said Brian Watkins, an attorney who represents the woman in the October incident.
She is one of several people who have filed claims against the city, accusing Hays of sexual misconduct. A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against Hays and the city in June.
