NATION : Police Chief Accused of Perjury
Prosecutors filed seven perjury charges against Police Chief Mack Vines, reportedly for statements he made to a panel investigating a police officer’s fatal shooting of an unarmed Mexican national.
Dallas County Dist. Atty. John Vance today announced the charges and said they will be reviewed by a grand jury next week. They are third-degree felonies, each carrying a maximum 10-year prison term and fines of up to $10,000.
The charges stem from Vines’ testimony before a panel reviewing the 1989 dismissal of Officer Patrick LeMaire.
The panel had confronted the chief with accusations that he tried to influence the testimony of an assistant chief regarding the speed of the internal investigation of LeMaire.
Vines fired LeMaire 17 days after he killed Jose Hilario, an unarmed Mexican national, on June 27, 1989. The chief said LeMaire violated the department’s policy by failing to take steps that would have avoided a confrontation.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
