LOS ANGELES : Abduction, Beating Charges Against 2 Deputies Dropped

Charges were dismissed Monday against two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies accused of abducting a man, taking him to a deserted area and beating him.

Superior Court Judge James Bascue dismissed the charges against deputies Albert Verduzco, 38, and Bobby Rodriguez, 29. The judge found that the prosecution had not presented sufficient evidence to convict the defendants.

The decision is the legal equivalent of an acquittal, which means Verduzco and Rodriguez cannot be retried.

The East Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and assault under color of authority for allegedly beating Albert Morales on Nov. 23, 1991.

Morales testified that the deputies “abducted” him after they responded to a possible domestic disturbance call at a home on Olympic Boulevard and saw a suspect drive away. He testified that he was walking toward the house as the suspect pulled away when the deputies grabbed him, put him in their patrol car and began chasing the suspect’s car.

During the chase, Morales said, the deputies told him that if he escaped, “they were going to take me and beat me up themselves.”

Morales said the deputies took him to a deserted area and beat him with their batons for about 30 seconds.

Morales alleged that after the beating, the deputies gave him the telephone number for the East Los Angeles sheriff’s station and asked him to call if he found out anything about the suspect. Verduzco and Rodriguez maintained that they never beat Morales.