Disgraced cop gets $250K from city

San Diego City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to cover a maximum of $250,000 in legal fees for a former city police officer who pleaded guilty last month to felony and misdemeanor charges related to groping women and other inappropriate touching while on duty.

The money will help Christopher Hays, 30, defend himself separately from the city in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed againts Hays and San Diego in June. It could also help Hays in additional federal lawsuits city officials say they expect victims to file.

Providing Hays separate counsel eliminates a conflict of interest for City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, a staff report said. The council previously approved the money, which will go to the firm of Haight, Brown and Bonesteel, during a session closed to the public on July 1.

Hays, who resigned from the Police Department shortly after being arraigned in February, has been accused of misconduct by as many as seven victims. The case prompted the department to establish a new policy requiring two officers to accompany any female in custody.

Hays is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 26. He could face up to five years in prison, but a judge last month said he would probably recommend only one year behind bars and probation.

Hays has said through his attorneys that he’d like to return to his home state of Arkansas as soon as possible. The criminal cases stem from incidents that allegedly occurred last fall.

In criminal court this spring, three women testified that they felt violated and afraid when Hays touched them in an inappropriate and sexual manner while conducting pat-down searches. Multiple alleged incidents began with Hays offering women rides home and then groping them.

If Hays had been convicted at trial instead of pleading guilty, he would have been ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

The $250,000 for Hays’ civil defense will come from the city’s public liability fund.