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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who was off- duty when he allegedly tried to cover up a fellow off-duty deputy's crash of a patrol vehicle in Stevenson Ranch pleaded not guilty Friday to criminal charges.
Gregory Davis, 55, was charged last August with one felony count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one misdemeanor count of giving false information to a peace officer and three misdemeanor counts of delaying and/or obstructing an investigation.
Davis is accused of pulling the off-duty deputy's limp body out of the patrol SUV on Aug. 26, 2022, and placing him in the vehicle of his fellow deputy's wife, who drove him home, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Davis -- who worked for a specialized unit that includes the department's High-Risk Tactical/Rescue Teams -- allegedly attempted to move the patrol SUV before a retired Los Angeles Police Department officer who was passing by called authorities, and did not initially identify himself as an off- duty deputy, according to prosecutors.
The other deputy, Carlos Ernesto Lopez, was charged last year with driving under the influence. He is awaiting a pretrial hearing Jan. 31 in East Los Angeles, according to court records.
"A law enforcement officer obstructing an investigation into unlawful conduct by another deputy undermines the integrity of the justice system," District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement last summer announcing the charges against Davis. "We will hold accountable both the officer who committed misconduct and those who participated in covering it up. No one is above the law, especially not those that are sworn to uphold it."
According to the sheriff's department, Davis had been placed on administrative leave during an investigation into the matter and was subsequently relieved of duty without pay.
Lopez was relieved of duty with pay on Aug. 27, 2022.
The case stemmed from an investigation by the sheriff's Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau and the District Attorney's Office's Justice System Integrity Division.
"Sheriff (Robert) Luna does not tolerate any form of behavior inconsistent with our mission and core values nor is any law enforcement officer above the law," according to a statement issued last year by the department.
"Sheriff's deputies work tirelessly to serve the community and are entrusted with maintaining the public's trust. When individuals taint that trust and engage in criminal misconduct they will be investigated and fully prosecuted under the law."