Riverside Chief Again Denies Fight

Riverside Police Chief Russ Leach on Tuesday again adamantly denied allegations that he struck his wife, launching a detailed defense at a news conference after San Diego police said they would recommend that the chief be criminally charged.

Last month in San Diego, a hotel security guard told police he saw Leach strike his wife, Connie, in their hotel room. The guard was peering through a bathroom window after hearing a woman’s screams, authorities said.

San Diego Police officials said they would recommend that Leach be charged with misdemeanor battery when the case is turned over to the city attorney’s office today, a charge punishable by up to a year in jail.

Leach, a former Los Angeles Police Department commander who was brought to Riverside to restore order and public trust after the officer-involved shooting death of a 19-year-old black woman in 1998, appeared in front of the police headquarters Tuesday with his wife by his side.

They both said they merely had a heated argument at the hotel and that the security guard was wrong.

Leach and his wife submitted to privately conducted polygraph tests that indicated they were being truthful, according to the chief’s San Diego defense attorney, Marc X. Carlos.

The attorney also said he handed San Diego Police investigators statements from at least two witnesses who supported the Leaches’ account.

“The argument was quite loud,” Leach said. “Like in every relationship, do we have arguments? Yes. Physical violence? Emphatically, no.”

San Diego Assistant Chief Rulette Armstead said there was enough evidence to warrant the misdemeanor charge.

“This case meets the guidelines” for charges to be filed, she said.

Police said a security guard at the Bahia Hotel in Mission Beach told officers that he saw Leach strike his wife on the shoulder and stamp on her foot. Guards at the hotel said they had heard a woman’s screams. One of the guards said he stood on a planter and looked through a bathroom window into the Leaches’ room and witnessed the physical contact, police said.

Leach’s attorney said the 1:40 a.m. argument was only a “slight quarrel” with no physical violence.

“We believe the evidence presented to San Diego Police is sufficient for them to complete their investigation and the city attorney’s office to make a decision not to file [charges],” Carlos said, questioning the credibility of the guard.

Carlos also said the San Diego Police had acted unprofessionally by releasing information about witnesses and the department’s recommendation to charge Leach. However, Armstead said the department treated Leach “just like any other” person.

“We would tell the media that regardless of who is involved in this,” Armstead said.

Tim Campen, San Diego’s head deputy city attorney in the domestic violence unit, said it probably would take several weeks to determine if Leach should be charged.

“We consider everything presented to us when considering whether to file charges or how to handle a case, or what kind of offer to make,” he said. “We also understand what kind of evidence is admissible and what kind of evidence is not admissible at trial.”

At Tuesday’s news conference, Leach read a statement thanking his officers for their support. He explained that the argument with his wife was “over a very personal family matter” and said he was “not seeking special treatment” from San Diego Police. He declined to answer questions, citing legal restraints.

Leach and Carlos also said the chief would remain on duty throughout the legal process, even if a charge was filed.

“This will have no impact on my demonstrated ability to manage the men and women of this police department,” Leach said.

Leach took over less than two years after black motorist Tyisha Miller was shot to death by white Riverside police officers.

It was a racially charged incident that angered many in the community and led to state-ordered reforms for the department.

Before coming to Riverside, Leach had been police chief in El Paso, Texas and a 22-year veteran of the LAPD.

Riverside police union leader Patrick McCarthy came to the news conference to support Leach.

“Any actions by police can be criticized,” McCarthy said. “The chief has brought energy here -- a positive, professional outlook to better this department. We’re entitled to know his side. We came here to see what was said. We’ll stick by the chief.”