By Tony Perry
SAN DIEGO — A decorated police
officer has been suspended while the district attorney reviews allegations that
he sexually assaulted four women while on duty, officials said Thursday.
The officer was identified as
Chris Hays, 30, who received a lifesaving medal in 2012 for dashing into a
burning building to save a woman trapped on the second floor. He also served
with the Marines in Iraq as a lance corporal.
Four women have accused the
officer of touching them improperly while they were being searched, according
to Chief Bill Lansdowne.
One of the four incidents was
from a domestic violence call. Others involved a shoplifting suspect, a
homeless woman and a women interviewed during a street patrol.
The Police Department's
investigation into the accusations,
first reported by KGTV-TV Channel 10, has been forwarded to the district
attorney's office for a determination on whether to file criminal charges
against Hays.
Separate from the district
attorney's review is an investigation by the Police Department into whether the
officer violated procedures, Lansdowne said.
That investigation is nearing
completion, and the department is close to terminating the officer, Lansdowne
said.
The first allegation was made
in December, when a woman came to the Police Department. Investigation then
revealed three similar incidents, Lansdowne said.
Hays is married and the father
of two. His father-in-law, Mark Jones, is an assistant chief with the San Diego
department.
Nothing in the investigation
revealed any "red flags" that should have indicated to superiors that
the officer's on-duty behavior was inappropriate, Lansdowne said.
In 2011, former Officer Anthony
Arevalos was convicted of demanding sexual favors from women after making
traffic stops. He was sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison; he
had been fired after the accusations were made.
The City Council has approved a
total of $2.3 million in payments to women assaulted by Arevalos. One case has
gone to trial.
