Former Inmate Files Suit for Damages Over Rampart
A Los Angeles man who spent 19 months in state prison after being framed by former Rampart Officer Rafael Perez has filed a civil rights damage suit in Los Angeles federal court. Charles E. Harris Sr., 42, said Perez and fellow officer Randy Canister planted rock cocaine and a stolen handgun in his car in 1997 after they stopped him without probable cause.
When he came to trial, Harris said, he agreed to plead guilty because he feared the jury would believe the officers, and not him.
Harris was released on parole after serving 19 months of a three-year prison sentence. In March, the district attorney’s office asked a judge to overturn Harris’ conviction, citing Perez’s admissions that Harris and other suspects had been framed.
The federal suit, filed by attorneys Keith G. Wileman and Errol H. Stambler, seeks unspecified money damages.
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