June 1, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Jury Selection to Resume For Trial of Sheriff Lee Baca

Jury selection is expected to resume Thursday in the second trial of former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca on federal corruption charges for allegedly conspiring to obstruct an FBI probe into possible abuse of inmates in the county jail system.

Jurors are being selected from a pool of more than 200 people who are undergoing questioning at the new federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.

Potential panelists from throughout the region were excused from serving Wednesday based on hardship issues and others are expected to be rejected because of their perceived viewpoints on the sheriff’s department and how much they already know about the case.

U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson said jurors would remain anonymous due to the media attention the retrial is expected to draw and to lessen the chance that they are contacted during the proceedings.

Jury selection, which marks the start of a trial, may last the rest of the week.

Baca, 74, was tried in December on counts of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice, but jurors deadlocked 11-1 in favor of acquitting the former sheriff. Anderson then declared a mistrial.

At his retrial — expected to take about two weeks — the former sheriff will also face a third felony count of lying to federal officials.

The charges partly stem from a 2011 incident in which two sheriff’s investigators confronted an FBI agent involved in the jail probe in the driveway leading into her apartment and falsely told her they were in the process of obtaining a warrant for her arrest.

The case against Baca focuses on a period of time when sheriff’s deputies based at the Men’s Central Jail stumbled upon a secret FBI probe of alleged civil rights abuses and unjustified beatings of inmates within jail walls.

Prosecutors contend Baca so resented the federal government’s jails probe that he attempted to force the FBI to back down by illegally having deputies confront the agent at her apartment.

The prosecution also alleges that Baca ignored years of complaints about excessive force used illegally against jail inmates in county facilities managed by the Sheriff’s Department.

The third count — making false statements — contends that Baca lied to the FBI in April 2013 about his knowledge of department efforts to subvert a federal probe into corruption and inmate abuse in the jail system.

Baca maintains he had no knowledge of what was being done in his name by subordinates, including former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka. Tanaka is serving a five-year prison term for his conviction on obstruction of justice charges similar to those Baca faces. Eight other former deputies were convicted and are serving time in the case.

In a flurry of pretrial motions, Anderson ruled that jurors will not be allowed to hear medical testimony that Baca has been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for years, calling such proposed testimony a “waste of time.”

Baca’s lawyers had asked the judge to allow UCLA psychiatrist and Alzheimer’s expert Dr. James Spar to link Baca’s alleged criminal actions to a years-later diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment.

“Evidence linking defendant’s current diagnosis to the charges is entirely speculative and inadmissible,” the judge wrote, adding that Spar’s testimony “would only serve to confuse the jury.”

Baca’s attorneys contend that the ex-sheriff is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and suffered some cognitive impairment as long as six years ago.

The judge also granted a prosecution motion to prevent the defense from introducing testimony about Baca’s “prior good works,” which did not directly pertain to the charges for which he was being tried.

And Anderson banned Baca from wearing his mini-sheriff’s star lapel pin, as the former lawman had been doing for court appearances since he was first charged in February 2016. Prosecutors wrote that by wearing the star, Baca was attempting “to portray himself as a law-abiding reformer” to the jury without ever taking the stand.

jury

Related Posts

Defensible Space, Defined: How A Plus Tree Protects Communities from Wildfire

May 30, 2025

May 30, 2025

In the wildfire-prone landscapes of the Western United States, safeguarding homes and communities requires proactive measures. A Plus Tree, a...

WeHo Pride Weekend Begins and 2025 Icons Announced: Parades, Concerts, and Community Celebration Kicks Off

May 30, 2025

May 30, 2025

Three-Day LGBTQ+ Festival Features Performances by Lizzo, Maren Morris, and Kim Petras West Hollywood is preparing to kick off its...

Palisades Village to Reopen in 2026 with Revamped Retail, Dining, and Community Spaces

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

Elysewalker Set to Return With Park Reconstruction, Holiday Events, and Streetscape Upgrades Palisades Village, the open-air shopping and lifestyle destination...

Bel Air Seventh Grader Reaches Finals of Scripps National Spelling Bee

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

Oliver Halkett of Mirman School Competed on Thursday for a $50,000 prize Thirteen-year-old Oliver Halkett, a seventh grader from Mirman...

(Video) Signs That Your Aging Loved Ones Are in Need of Caregiving

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

To Find Out More, Go To Safelyhomeagain.com To Find Out More, Go To https://t.co/ZCPyKHj5aq pic.twitter.com/cDTEPjfA6s — Westside Today (@WestsideLAToday) May...

Two Men Charged in Culver City Kidnapping and Robbery After Victim Forced to Withdraw Cash

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

Suspects Allegedly Abducted Man at Gunpoint, Drove Him to Multiple Banks  Two men have been arrested and formally charged in...

Salt & Straw Unveils Summer Pie Series with Five Seasonal Ice Cream Flavors

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

Five New Flavors Inspired by Classic Summer Pies Will Be Introduced Salt & Straw is giving summer a scoopable twist...

(Video) Interviews with Rick Caruso and Elyse Walker, with a Dennis Quaid cameo

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

We spoke at the Press Conference to announce plans to reopen Palisades Village Shopping Mall. Actor Dennis Quaid arrives to...

Levain Bakery Debuts ‘Levain à la Mode’ with Local Ice Cream Partners for Summer

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

Seasonal Offering With Wanderlust Creamery is a First in Cookie Shop’s History For the first time in its three-decade history,...

Beverly Glen Sixth Grader Advances to Finals of National Student Cook-Off

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

Twelve-Year-Old Heads to Virginia to Compete in K12 Culinary Competition Abijah Levy Minor, a 12-year-old student from Beverly Glen, has...

Sarah Paulson to Host Charity Bingo Night for Pasadena Humane Society on June 5

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

Evening of Food, Wine, and Live Music to Raise Funds for Animal Rescue Efforts Emmy-winning actress Sarah Paulson will host...

Bay Cities Italian Deli Responds to Health Code Closure, Commits to Corrective Action

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

Santa Monica Landmark Disputes Rodent Claims but Acknowledges Violations Bay Cities Italian Deli, a Santa Monica staple renowned for its...

Film Review: Bring Her Back

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

By Dolores Quintana Grief is the price of love.  Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou’s second feature film, Bring Her Back,...

County Assessor Stresses Need For Fire-Affected Households to Update Addresses to Receive Relief Checks

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

Assessor’s Office Offers Automatic Tax Relief for Fire-Affected Homeowners Following the destruction caused by wildfires earlier this year, the Los...

Caltrans Schedules Public Meeting for $143.7 Million I-405 Rehabilitation Project

May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025

Virtual Forum Set to Brief Residents on Upcoming Construction The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will hold a virtual public...