Two L.A. County sheriff’s deputies charged with lying in drug and guns case

Two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies have been indicted on charges alleging they lied in a drug and weapons investigation, the district attorney’s office said.

Prosecutors said Pedro Guerrero-Gonzalez, 34, faces one felony count of filing a false report and Noel Lopez, 41, faces a count of perjury. A grand jury returned the indictment this week and it was unsealed on Friday.

The deputies are due in court next month.

The charges stem from a case in September 2018, when the deputies were part of a team of sheriff’s investigators who served a warrant at a house in East L.A., where they discovered drugs and weapons. Two men were arrested and later charged.

Prosecutors allege Guerrero-Gonzalez falsified a detective’s statement that was included in a report about the investigation and that Lopez lied when he claimed in a written declaration that deputies saw one of the men throw a case containing a rifle onto the floor.

When prosecutors learned of the alleged misconduct, they moved to toss the criminal case, the district attorney’s office said. A judge dropped charges against both men in September 2019. In announcing the charges against the deputies Friday, the L.A. County district attorney’s office did not explain how their alleged lies came to light.

“Trust is one of the cornerstones of law enforcement,� Dist. Atty. George Gascón said in a statement. “Our job is to help restore that trust when our community loses faith in the people who promise to uphold the law and protect us.�

Capt. John Satterfield, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department, said both deputies are on paid administrative leave and their peace officer powers have been suspended.

“Criminal misconduct will not be tolerated and department members who allegedly violate the law will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent,� Satterfield said. “This department led investigation serves as an example of the thorough accountability processes in place and our commitment to holding anyone who violates the law accountable.�