RIALTO: Suspended officer charged
with making criminal threats
Already facing
federal charges, a 41-year-old suspended Rialto police officer was arrested
last weekend by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies who found an
undisclosed type of explosive in his home, according to jail records and
officials of both police agencies.
Aaron Scott
Vigil was arrested at 8 p.m. Saturday at his Highland home and booked for
investigation of making criminal threats and possession of an explosive device,
jail records show. He is being held on $500,000 bail.
On Tuesday, San
Bernardino County prosecutors charged Vigil with two felony counts of making
criminal threats against the lives of two Rialto police officials, Capt. Randy
DeAnda and Lt. Andy Karol, court records show.
Vigil is being
held on $500,000 bail, online jail records show.
He also awaits
trial on a June 2011 federal indictment in an Orange County bribery case,
federal officials say. That indictment accused Vigil of conspiring with an
attorney to make false statements to help a defendant charged with assault.
“The indictment
… alleges that Vigil, who served as a task force officer with the Drug
Enforcement Administration, agreed to accept a $2,500 bribe in exchange for
falsely telling the Orange County District Attorney’s Office that (the defendant)
was a cooperator who had provided information to the DEA,” U.S. Attorney’s
officials said in a written statement last June.
Vigil remains a
Rialto police officer but is on unpaid administrative leave and has been
stripped of all police powers, said Police Chief William A. Farrar, who
declined further comment because of ongoing criminal and internal affairs
investigations.
The weekend
arrest came after Rialto police reported they were concerned about Vigil’s
welfare, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Jodi Miller.
Deputies went
to Vigil’s home about 4:30 p.m. Saturday and initially arrested him in
connection with the threats, and then obtained a search warrant, which
uncovered the alleged explosive device, Miller said.
The type of
device was not specified, and Tuesday's criminal complaint only charges him
with making criminal threats against the two police officials.
Also
contributing to this report: Staff writer Steven Barrie, sbarrie@pe.com
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