Former San Diego police officer
Christopher Hays, 30, surrendered to authorities on Oct. 3 and began serving
his time for misconduct on the job
By Monica Garske
A former San Diego Police Department
officer sentenced to jail for misconduct on the job – including assault,
battery and illegally detaining several women – will begin serving his time
behind bars Friday.
Ex-Cop Cries, Apologizes at
Sentencing Christopher Hays, an ex-SDPD
officer accused of misconduct on the job cried as he addressed the court at his
sentencing on Sept. 26, 2014. Hays groped and detained several women during
pat-downs while in uniform.
Christopher Hays, 30, turned
himself in at the downtown San Diego courthouse, his attorney, Kerry Armstrong,
confirmed.
During the surrender, Hays’
wife, Erika Hays, was crying and very upset, Armstrong said.
Hays was sentenced on Sept. 26
to one year in county jail, plus three years of probation. When the judge
handed down his fate, Hays teared up and addressed the court and his family.
“I would like to say that I am
sorry for anything I have done that has caused anyone pain,” he said, crying.
“I have always tried to help people and do good, so now that I have hurt
someone, it’s not something that I am very proud of.”
Hays pleaded guilty to felony
false imprisonment as well as misdemeanor counts of assault and battery under
the color of authority by a peace officer on Aug. 22.
Ex-Cop Sentenced to Jail Ex-SDPD officer Christopher Hays was
sentenced to a year in jail on Sept. 26, 2014, for misconduct on the job, which
included groping women during pat-downs. At his sentencing, Hays was emotional
and apologetic. NBC 7's Elena Gomez reports.
Armstrong said that, with good
behavior, Hays could possibly get out of jail in six months and begin a new
life with his family. The attorney said his client plans to eventually move out
of San Diego and back to his home state of Arkansas with his wife and kids,
where he may pursue a new career as a welder.
On Friday Armstrong said he
believes Hays will be locked up in solitary confinement at San Diego Central
Jail, where he will get two one-hour visitation sessions per week.
Earlier this year, at least
four women came forward accusing Hays of allegedly inappropriately touching and
groping them during pat-downs while he was on duty.
At his preliminary hearing in
April, three alleged victims identified only as Jane Doe One, Two and Three
described their interactions with the officer in uniform.
Jane Doe Two said Hays
allegedly gave her a pat down that included lingering over every part of her
body. Jane Doe Three accused Hays of dropping his hand towards his groin and
asking her to touch his body.
Ex-SDPD Officer Pleads
Guilty Former SDPD Officer Christopher
Hays, 30, pleaded guilty to several charges of misconduct on the job on Aug.
22, 2014. Still, his attorney tells NBC 7's Artie Ojeda the ex-cop isn't
admitting to anything and, in the end, the plea deal could keep him out of
prison.
Hays, a four-year veteran of
the SDPD, was charged with the misconduct crimes in February. Hours after his
arraignment, he resigned from the SDPD, saying he was not guilty. He said he
felt betrayed by the department.
Hays denied the groping
charges, later pleading guilty to the other counts of misconduct on the job,
including battery and assault. Because he did not plead guilty to the sexual
allegations, he will not have to register as a sex offender.
In May, NBC 7 spoke with Hays’
wife, Erika Hays, who defended his innocence and said she would continue to
stand by her husband.
At his sentencing last week,
Hays spoke about how much he's hurt his family amid this ordeal, and how much
he loves his wife and children.
“I am so sorry for what my
family has had to endure. I know I have caused them a great deal of pain and
suffering, which is something I never wanted to [do],” he said, crying.
Hays’ case has put the SDPD
under fire this year, further marring the department’s image, which has faced a
wave of public scrutiny for quite some time.
When news broke of the alleged
sexual misconduct crimes, then-Chief William Lansdowne ordered an outside audit
of the police department from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Lansdowne’s successor, Chief
Shelley Zimmerman, supported the audit.
“We are not going to tolerate
this misconduct and betrayal of our badge and our profession,” Zimmerman said
in March.
In addition to Hays, former San
Diego police officer Anthony Arevalos is currently serving prison time for
multiple felony counts of sexual battery, assault and asking for bribes while
in uniform as a police officer patrolling the Gaslamp from 2009 to 2011.
On Sept. 25, attorneys and city
officials announced that a San Diego woman who was victimized by Arevalos will
receive $5.9 million in a legal settlement negotiated between the victim and
the City of San Diego.
The woman, known only as “Jane Doe,”
filed a claim of police misconduct after an interaction with then-officer
Arevalos inside a 7-Eleven store bathroom on March 8, 2011.
According to prosecutors, the
corrupt cop conducted a routine traffic stop on Jane Doe and then suggested the
two of them go into the nearby convenience store. The two entered the restroom
with the agreement that she would give him her panties, and in exchange he
would not charge her for a DUI.
Jane Doe's lawsuit was one of
13 filed by victims of Arevalos, who was convicted in November 2011.
