Corrupt cops send key witness to drug-rehab 2000 miles away. She mysteriously ends up in a jail.

[DetlefK]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/09/14/she-accused-bay-area-cops-of-sex-crimes-they-sent-her-to-rehab.html

One teenager is ready to testify against dozens of California cops, alleging they abused their power and used her for sex, but she’s stuck in Florida after one accused department arranged for her to go to rehab.

...

Seven of these officers from the Oakland, Contra Costa, and Livermore police departments now face charges for underage sex, obstruction of justice, engaging in prostitution, and public lewdness. As the accusatory witness for the prosecution, Guap’s testimony is key; without it, there’s no case, as Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said on Friday.

...

Two weeks ago, one of the police departments implicated in her case, the Richmond P.D., paid for her to go rehab out of a state fund for drug recovery and even drove her to the airport where she boarded a flight for southern Florida.

Only three days into her rehab stint, Guap was arrested for allegedly biting a security guard.

Now she’s in jail and the case against California cops is on hold.

...

The Richmond Police Department did not return multiple requests for comment on why they sent Guap to a Florida detox clinic instead of similar centers in the Bay Area. The Florida clinic even advertises its partnerships with other rehab facilities nationwide.

...

When a security guard attempted to restrain her, she allegedly bit him on the arm, leaving a mark.

She was slapped with a felony battery charge. The charge is usually handed to people who cause permanent bodily harm, attack someone with a deadly weapon, or knowingly attack a pregnant person. If convicted, she faces 15 years in prison. Her bond was set at $300,000.

Of the eight people currently booked in Martin County on aggravated battery charges, Guap has the highest bond, matched only by a person charged “aggravated assault on a pregnant woman.” Guap’s aggravated battery bond is $50,000 higher than that of a 48-year-old accused of aggravated battery on an officer with a vehicle.

...

On Monday, assistant state attorney David Lustgarten downgraded Guap’s charges to misdemeanor battery. He hadn’t seen enough evidence to prove she committed a felony, he told SFGate. He’s offering Guap a plea deal, one that might let her return to California to testify.

...

“The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office did not make arrangements for or participate in sending her to Florida,” O’Malley’s office said in a Friday statement. “To the contrary, we protested her removal from California where she could receive the services she wanted and requested. An agency outside of Alameda County made arrangements to send her out of state, against our wishes and advise.”