District Attorney John Sarsfield and Sheriff Curtis Hill were
named in a $1 million defamation claim against the City of
Hollister and the County of San Benito by private investigator
Dennis Stafford.
The claim, filed Tuesday, alleges that Sarsfield, Hill and other
local officials defamed Stafford’s character during a Sept. 10
press conference at the Hollister Police Department and at the
Sheriff’s Office.
District Attorney John Sarsfield and Sheriff Curtis Hill were named in a $1 million defamation claim against the City of Hollister and the County of San Benito by private investigator Dennis Stafford.
The claim, filed Tuesday, alleges that Sarsfield, Hill and other local officials defamed Stafford’s character during a Sept. 10 press conference at the Hollister Police Department and at the Sheriff’s Office.
Stafford alleges in the claim that Hill and Sarsfield released “privileged and confidential information to the public without lawful authorization.”
According to the claim, Sarsfield, Hill and other officials are intentionally attempting to defame and embarrass Stafford by possibly re-trying nearly 60 felony convictions dating back to 1984.
All of the cases Sarsfield’s office has been investigating since January were ones in which Stafford was involved in either as an investigator, a crime scene reconstruction expert or as an expert witness.
Sarsfield declined to comment on the claim.
“I haven’t seen it but I’m going to keep on doing my job and working for justice,” Sarsfield said.
Hill could not be reached for comment on the claim by press time.
Stafford, who declined requests for comment, said in the written statement he believes Sarsfield, Hill and others are part of a “civil conspiracy” to violate his constitutional and civil rights by denying him equal protection under the law.
Stafford alleges Sarsfield and Hill’s investigation are intentionally targeting him because they are not researching cases involving other employees or investigators who were named as suspects in criminal cases.
The claim filed by Stafford opens the door to a possible lawsuit. If the Hollister City Council or the Board of Supervisors deny the claim, then Stafford is allowed by civil procedures to file a lawsuit against both agencies.
The claim stems from Sarsfield’s allegations of possible misconduct by Stafford while he was still a peace officer.
The alleged misconduct stems from previous prosecutors violating the Brady Standard, which is based on a 1963 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said prosecutors have to turn over any information they have that could benefit the defense’s case.
Sarsfield said his office found out Stafford, who had been with the district attorney’s office for about 10 years, was listed as a suspect in some police reports about a molestation case and that he possibly hid information about crimes committed by his son, information that had not been turned over to defense attorneys.
