San Juan Bautista City Councilman George Dias will head to trial
Nov. 5 on charges of resisting a peace officer causing serious
injury, a misdemeanor, a judge announced Thursday.
Hollister – San Juan Bautista City Councilman George Dias will head to trial Nov. 5 on charges of resisting a peace officer causing serious injury, a misdemeanor, a judge announced Thursday.
Dias, 46, was charged in connection with an April 14 incident with San Benito County Sheriff’s Office deputies at the scene of a trailer fire in the 600 block of Mission Vineyard Road in San Juan Bautista.
The sheriff’s office claimed that Dias was blocking access of firefighting equipment to the trailer and told deputy Jason Leist, “Go get a real cop. I am not moving.” Leist placed Dias under arrest. Leist suffered injuries when he, Dias and another deputy fell into a nearby shrub, the sheriff’s office has reported.
Dias’ attorney, Larry Biegel, requested information in July about Leist’s personnel information held at the sheriff’s office.
“I’m looking for excessive force and any evidence of … untruthfulness,” Biegel told the court in explaining his request.
Biegel alleged in court documents filed with the request in July that Leist used “excessive force” and approached Dias in an “aggressive and belligerent manner while using profanity.”
Law enforcement personnel information is confidential under state law. Biegel’s request is called a Pitchess Motion. It allows a defendant in a criminal matter access to such personnel information.
San Benito County Superior Court Judge Steven Sanders then reviewed Leist’s personnel file with Undersheriff Pat Turturici and a representative from the county counsel in his chambers Thursday afternoon. The review took about five minutes.
“I’ve had a chance to review the file and there’s nothing that falls within your request,” Sanders said to Biegel in court after the five-minute meeting. Sanders then set a trial date for Nov. 5.
