King
City cop pleads no contest to false imprisonment
Allison Gatlin,
A King City police sergeant
pleaded no contest to false imprisonment Wednesday, a week before he was
scheduled to go to trial.
Sgt. Mark Baker offered his
plea in Monterey County Superior Court. The plea effectively ended the policing
career of the 17-year law enforcement veteran.
On Aug. 23, 2013, Baker
threatened to “disappear” Leon Infante, a resident who admitted to obtaining
property stolen from the cop’s personal vehicle.
The threat was entirely
uncharacteristic of Baker, said Thomas Worthington, his attorney.
“He has a lifetime of being an
even-tempered person,” Worthington told The Californian.
Being a gang officer, Baker
experienced numerous threats and near constant concern for his family. Those
worries were especially acute on Aug. 23, 2013, after his vehicle — which
contained a gate key to his house — was stolen.
“Otherwise he wouldn’t have
acted like that,” Worthington said.
Baker was initially scheduled
for a plea change Nov. 26, but didn’t follow through.
Over the week, Worthington said
he reviewed the case and interviewed witnesses, one of whom credits Baker for
his life. Baker was scheduled for trial on Monday.
“Mark and we felt like it was a
good time to put an end on this,” Worthington said. He called the misdemeanor
plea agreement “reasonable.” Initially, Baker faced felony criminal theft
charges and a much heftier sentence.
He is scheduled to be sentenced
March 18 to five years’ probation. Per probation requirements, he won’t be
allowed to own any firearms. He’ll have to turn over any he has to an
authorized gun dealer by next Wednesday.
Doing so effectively ends
Baker’s policing career. Baker has been on leave from the King City Police
Department since shortly following the incident last year.
Worthington said his client is
now trying to deal with the “burnout” following the high stress of police work,
especially in the gang realm.
Baker has had no citizen
complaints for force sustained against him, Worthington said. His discipline
record is minimal and only includes a letter of record for backing over a rock
at night, damaging a patrol car.
Until his sentencing, Baker
remains out of custody on his own recognizance.
In other news, the trial date
for King City Police Sgt. Bobby Carrillo, Interim Chief Bruce Miller and Brian
Miller, Bruce Miller’s brother and owner of Miller’s Towing, was vacated.
The trio were scheduled for
trial Jan. 26. However, Judge Russell Scott — who had been overseeing their
case — is retiring effective the end of this year. Their case was transferred
instead of Judge Julie Culver. Culver, however, said Wednesday she expects to
be fairly busy in late January.
Instead, Carrillo, Bruce Miller
and Brian Miller will return to court Jan. 27 to have a new date set for trial.
Carrillo and Brian Miller are
accused of orchestrating a for-profit car-towing scheme to defraud low-income
Latinos. Bruce Miller is accused of accepting a vehicle as a bribe.
Culver will take up a motion to
dismiss one of the charges against Bruce Miller on Jan. 22. He’s charged
specifically with bribery and perjury.
