LOS ANGELES
An indictment was unsealed Friday charging two sheriff’s detectives for lying about their roles while a search warrant was served at a home in East Los Angeles three years ago, prosecutors stated.
“Trust is one of the cornerstones of law enforcement,” District Attorney George Gascón said. “Our job is to help restore that trust when our community loses faith in the people who promise to uphold the law and protect us.”
A grand jury returned an indictment yesterday against Pedro Guerrero-Gonzalez, 33, for one felony count of filing a false report, and Noel Lopez, 33, for one count of perjury.
On Sept. 22, 2018, both defendants were part of a team of sheriff’s investigators who served a search warrant at a home in East Los Angeles. Drugs and weapons were discovered and two men were arrested and later charged in connection with the alleged crimes, according to the indictment.
Guerrero-Gonzalez is accused of falsifying another detective’s statement in a report. In a declaration, Lopez allegedly lied that deputies saw one of the men arrested throw a case containing a rifle onto the floor.
When prosecutors learned of the alleged crimes by the two detectives, they moved to dismiss the case. A judge dismissed the case against both men on Sept. 5, 2019.