Federal Case Against Officer Is Dropped

Federal prosecutors have dropped the case against an Oxnard police officer who had been accused of beating an unarmed burglary suspect with a metal flashlight two years ago, officials said Saturday.

The decision means that Robert Flinn, 30, will not stand trial in federal court a second time, Assistant U.S. Atty. Jonathan Shapiro said.

Earlier this month, a federal jury deadlocked 11-1 in favor of acquitting Flinn on a beating charge. The panel acquitted Flinn on a second charge of filing a false report about the incident.

“After a thorough evaluation of everything before us, we felt that it was in the interest of justice,” Shapiro said Saturday. “Not pursuing the case is the right course of action.”

Flinn was accused of beating Juan Lopez, 31, because he ran from police officers Jan. 27, 1996, when they tried to stop him during a burglary in Oxnard’s La Colonia neighborhood.

The federal trial marked the second time Flinn was forced into court over his actions during and after the arrest.

In April 1997, a Ventura County jury found Flinn not guilty of using excessive force during the same 1996 arrest and the same panel deadlocked on two other charges. A mistrial was declared and state prosecutors chose not to refile the case.

The decision not to retry Flinn in federal court was approved by U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson and announced Friday. During Flinn’s federal trial, his lawyer, Barry Levin, had made the same request, which Wilson denied.

Flinn, a seven-year veteran of the force, remains on active duty as a detective.