DA investigator suspended after butt-biting at bar

A veteran investigator with the District Attorney’s Office was given a 20-day suspension and job transfer after an internal investigation into whether he bit a female prosecutor on her buttock at a Gaslamp nightclub hard enough to leave a bruise.

The incident involving District Attorney investigator Francisco Ramirez, 42, was described to U-T Watchdog by five sources from inside and outside the DA’s office and the San Diego Police Department. All requested not to be named.

A spokeswoman for District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said that Ramirez was suspended for 20 days, without pay, and transferred. He remains a commander, a supervisory position in the Bureau of Investigation, to which he was promoted in April 2015.

The sources said that Ramirez was still in a 12-month probationary period for his promotion when the woman was bitten. Because of that timing, he could have been fired or even demoted, but that is not what happened.

According to the sources, the incident occurred at La Puerta restaurant and bar the evening of Dec. 11. A group of prosecutors and investigators had gone there following a holiday party sponsored by the labor association for the Deputy District Attorneys, held at the Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park.

While members of the group were dancing at the bar, the woman let out a piercing shriek, and claimed that someone had just bitten her rear end. Party-goers quickly pegged Ramirez as the biter, and though the woman’s husband became extremely upset, calm was restored.

The next morning the woman saw that the bite was forceful enough to have left a mark, and she had photographs of the injury taken. Though she did not want to pursue action against Ramirez, administrators in the office found out and launched an inquiry after an anonymous complaint was made later about the event.

The woman was interviewed for the investigation, conducted by another DA investigator. Criminal charges were not filed because the woman did not want make a complaint against Ramirez.

It’s unknown if Ramirez was interviewed too.

The woman declined to speak about the incident when contacted last week.

An initial recommendation was Ramirez should be fired. Upon review by the administration, the 20-day suspension was imposed.

In addition, Ramirez was transferred to a new assignment away from the main courthouse downtown, where the woman is assigned. He now works with the branch offices around the county, according to the sources.

Ramirez did not respond to a request to comment on the incident.

DA's spokeswoman Tanya Sierra would not comment further on the incident.

“Misconduct by any DA employee, on or off the job, is taken seriously, is reviewed as a personnel matter and results in appropriate disciplinary action under civil service rules,” she said.

Ramirez has been an investigator with the District Attorney since 2007, following a 12-year career with the San Diego Police Department. He is the brother of Deputy Chief David Ramirez.

He received an award from the San Diego Police Officers Association in 2012 for his work as an investigator on a murder case.

Ramirez’ base pay before he was promoted to commander was $121,200 per year. His current annual rate is $136,700. With his suspension, his lost wages totaled $10,500.