COMPTON – The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will launch an internal investigation in response to the complaints of jurors who felt deputies lied in testifying at the trial of a man accused of having a concealed weapon, it was reported today.
Jurors said a video of the arrest and inconsistent testimony from deputies left them no choice earlier this month but to acquit David Gipson, 19, and five of them told the Los Angeles Times that authorities should investigate the deputies from the sheriff’s anti-gang-unit who were involved in the case, the newspaper reported.
“These were not minor inconsistencies,” juror Ted Rhodes, 28, a construction project manager, told The Times. “These were outright fabrications… It’ll be an injustice … if someone isn’t held accountable.”
It is rare for jurors to publicly say they believe law enforcement officers lied under oath. In response to questions from The Times, the Sheriff’s Department conducted a reenactment of the arrest with one of the deputies to determine whether his trial testimony was credible.
Sheriff’s officials later said they concluded that the deputies had told the truth and noted that prosecutors had previously come to the same conclusion.
“Yes, there are inconsistencies. Do the inconsistencies rise to the level of malice and perjury? No,” sheriff’s Capt. Bob Rifkin, who oversees the department’s anti-gang unit, told The Times. “I’m confident that they’re telling the truth.”
Nevertheless, he told The Times that the department is taking the he told The Times that the department is taking the jurors’ concerns seriously and will launch an internal affairs investigation.
