By Pauline Repard
SAN DIEGO — One of the several
women who have accused former San Diego police Officer Christopher Hays of
sexual misconduct filed a claim for damages Monday against Hays and the Police
Department.
The woman said that when
several officers arrested her boyfriend on suspicion of assaulting her in June,
Hays lingered at her home and committed a sex act in front of her, her
attorney, Dan Gilleon, said.
The woman’s name is not being
used because she claims to be the victim of a sex crime.
Allegations against Hays, 30, a
married father of two, first arose in December when a woman reported to police
that he had given her a ride home, then frisked her in an inappropriate, sexual
manner.
Investigators then began
contacting other women Hays had given rides to in his four-year career. They
found three others who complained about similar pat-down incidents going back
to Nov. 12, 2012.
The District Attorney’s Office
charged Hays with sexual battery and false imprisonment in connection with the
four cases. Hays, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, resigned from the
Police Department last month.
Hays' defense lawyer said after
the arraignment that Hays was adamant he had done nothing wrong, and that he
was "extremely upset" with the Police Department for not supporting
him in light of the allegations.
Police Lt. Kevin Mayer said
investigators found a fifth alleged victim, the woman involved in the June
incident. He said that case has since been forwarded to prosecutors.
Gilleon said the woman’s claim
against the city alleges that several officers went to her home on June 12
after her boyfriend had beaten her. The attorney described her as a long-time
domestic violence victim.
The woman claims Hays stayed
behind when other officers left, and he got her into a room, closed the door,
unzipped his pants and committed a sex act. When she objected, he left, angry.
Gilleon said the claim was
filed with the city Monday, along with a petition for leave to file a late
claim because the incident occurred more than six months ago. If the city
rejects it, a lawsuit would likely follow.
Two other women hired Gilleon
without going to police first. One, Gilleon said, claimed Hays threatened to
arrest her if she didn’t perform a sex act in his patrol car after he gave her
a ride home in 2012.
The other woman said Hays
pulled her over in 2012, chatted with her for half an hour, asked personal
questions, then followed her part-way home. Gilleon said both of those clients
later talked to the District Attorney’s Office.
The Police Department has been
under fire for the alleged crimes ranging from rape to drunken driving of at
least nine officers since 2011. Then-Chief William Lansdowne requested City
Council approval of an outside audit of the department’s hiring, training and
discipline policies, then retired as of March 3.