An Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy is facing jail time after being accused of pepper spraying a teen's pizza without his knowledge during a traffic stop last year, the OC District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
Juan Tavera, a six-year veteran of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at the time of the alleged crime, faces one year in jail if convicted of spraying the pizza and ultimately sickening five people who ate it, according to a release by the DA's office.
Tavera, 30, allegedly pulled over a 19-year-old named as John Doe for a traffic violation on Sept. 8, 2012, when he noticed a pizza in the back seat and pepper sprayed it without the teen noticing, the release stated.
The teen returned home to share the pizza with four friends, and all five people became sick as a result of ingesting the pepper spray-contaminated pie. He became suspicious and notified the sheriff’s department of his earlier interaction with the deputy, the DA's office said.
Tavera is charged with misdemeanor assault or battery by a public officer and is set to be arraigned Monday in Newport Beach. He is currently on paid administrative leave.
How do you pepper spray a pizza without someone noticing?
ReplyDeleteDetained outside the car on the curb while the officer rummages through the car.
ReplyDeleteOh let me be a prick he thinks and bingo there is one answer as to how the pizza could have been pepper sprayed without someone noticing.
That's what you call outside the box thinking.
Of course the cop is still being paid. Everyone knows that cops can do no wrong. Yes, we call them crimes when someones else does them, and the perps are thugs and bullies. But when a cop does it, he was acting within his rights.
ReplyDeleteI love pepper spray on my pizza! I usually get charged 1.30 extra per topping. 1 can of Rugar pepper spray is 37.90 so I would bitch.
ReplyDeleteWould it be in-the-box if he never took the pizza out of the box?
ReplyDeleteI think the kid is lying. It would be hard to apply the spray without it getting on the rest of the car. They should have been able to smell the pepper spray on the pizza. Unless all 5 people ate their slices at the exact same time, someone would have felt the spray on their lips. At most, they would have "burned" their lips and some of their mouth. They wouldn't have been able to swallow the pizza. Did the kids go to the ER? Is there any documentation that they were exposed to pepper spray or is it just their word?
The kid is lying because he was pissed at being pulled over. How can he accuse the cop when he admittedly doesn't know if the cop did it? How does he know it wasn't done by an asshole at the pizza place?
...and the sick bastard who poisoned these kids gets a paid vacation, er, um... ..."paid administrative leave" . And of course he will get off on a technicality.
ReplyDeleteThe kid alerted the cops to his suspicions. The police would automatically side with the cop and disbelieve him. But now the DA, who must work closely with cops, and so is inclined to believe them, is bringing the case against him. My bet: he bragged about it.
ReplyDeleteBecause at every pizza place right next to the garlic powder and red pepper flake they always have a can of pepper spray just in case you like it extra spicy. Haven't you seen these at every pizza place now a days? If you don't maybe you should complain that someone is getting something on their pizza that you are not.
ReplyDeleteLikely outcome after department investigates itself: no wrong found, officer acted bravely and was in fear for his life, officer followed department policy.
ReplyDeleteDid I mention that officer was in fear for his life?
Conclusion: officer was unjustly accused and forced to suffer a paid month on leave, but will now be promoted and given a pay raise. Officer will receive public service commendation award. Officer will receive another two months paid leave to recover from the trauma of the event.
Public will sit on its ass and say nothing and do nothing. Officers will observe lazy, apathetic and totally pathetic public and so will be motivated to heap more abuse on stupid public.