SAN DIEGO, CA — A former San Diego County sheriff's deputy convicted of using excessive force on a man in pretrial custody and writing a false report in order to cover up what happened was sentenced Tuesday to 57 months in federal prison.
Prosecutors said Jeremiah Manuyag Flores, 45, shoved the 57-year-old victim into the walls of a holding cell, causing the man to suffer a head wound and a spinal injury that required surgery and that led to months of hospitalization.
After the shove, Flores failed to provide medical aid to the man, whose hands and legs were in chains at the time, according to prosecutors, who said another deputy found the victim lying in a pool of blood more than two hours later.
Flores, who was assigned to the Court Services Bureau at the San Diego Central Courthouse at the time, later claimed in a report that "no force was used," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Flores was convicted by a federal jury last year. The trial was Flores' second in the case, as a previous San Diego jury deadlocked. The U.S. Attorney's Office said the jury in the second trial deliberated for two hours before finding Flores guilty of two counts, deprivation of rights under color of law and falsification of records in a federal investigation.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Office said Flores was terminated on June 9 following an internal administrative investigation.
"His actions do not reflect the values of our organization," the sheriff's statement read. "Our agency does not tolerate the use of excessive force or lying by deputies. Any Sheriff's employee who violates the law or policy will be held accountable."
As a result of the convictions, Flores won't be able to work as a law enforcement officer at any level in the future, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
— City News Service
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