Suspended Officer Faces Hearing on 17 Misconduct Counts

A 12-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department has been accused of 17 counts of administrative misconduct, including perjury, submitting phony overtime requests, ignoring court subpoenas and mistreating citizens, authorities said Friday.

Sergio Garcia, 33, who was assigned to the Van Nuys Division, was relieved of duty without pay Jan. 27 and is scheduled to appear April 19 before a police board, which could recommend that he be fired, said Cmdr. William Booth.

“For a police officer, these are very serious,” Booth said. “There is quite an accumulation of charges . . . and if he is found guilty, severe punishment--along the lines of firing or suspension--is a real possibility.”

Garcia, who lives in Canyon Country, is on trial in Newhall Municipal Court on a charge of falsely reporting a misdemeanor. That charge, which is not included in the police case, stems from an altercation between Garcia and Jeanette Cox, also of Canyon Country.

Cox alleges that Garcia threatened to kill her for blocking his way into a parking place at a grocery store. Garcia, however, filed a police report claiming that Cox dented his car. The case is scheduled to continue Monday.

The police administrative charges against Garcia resulted from an investigation initiated after other police officers complained about his conduct, Booth said. They include giving false testimony while on duty and under oath in Los Angeles Municipal Court, failing to release a prisoner in a timely manner after determining that he was not involved in criminal activity and twice failing to appear in court when subpoenaed.

The suspension notice also states that Garcia improperly seized property belonging to four video stores in Los Angeles and Ontario while working at an off-duty job.

Other charges against Garcia, who could not be reached for comment Friday, include using a stolen registration tag on his car instead of registering it with the Department of Motor Vehicles and failing to notify the DMV when he was involved in a traffic accident last month.

At the April 19 board hearing, three police officers above the rank of captain are scheduled to hear evidence against Garcia. If the tribunal determines that he is guilty, it will recommend punishment to Chief Daryl F. Gates, who can either follow the recommendation or lessen the sentence.