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Former La Mesa police officer charged with filing false police report
Ex-officer Matthew Dages is accused of lying about the reason for the May 27 arrest of Amaurie JohnsonA former La Mesa police officer was charged Monday with lying on a police report about an arrest of a Black man in late May that sparked outrage.
District Attorney Summer Stephan said former Officer Matthew Dages, 30, provided false information in a May 28 police report about why he detained Amaurie Johnson a day earlier. He was charged with a felony count of filing a false police report.
Dages repeatedly claimed during the encounter that Johnson smacked his arm and cited him for allegedly assaulting an officer, but video of the encounter doesn’t show Johnson hit Dages.
“When someone in a position of trust such as a police officer commits a crime, it causes tremendous harm and shakes the community’s confidence in those who are sworn to protect them,” Stephan said in a statement. “Everyone is accountable under the law and, as we’ve done previously, we will file criminal charges when they are supported by facts and evidence.”
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/story/2021-01-04/ex-la-mesa-police-officer-charged-with-filing-false-police-report
A step in the right direction.