Oakland Police Officer Facing Battery Charges From Alleged December Assault
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- An Oakland police officer is facing misdemeanor charges in connection with an alleged drunken assault on a woman and her husband in December, according to court records.
Officer Cullen William Faeth is being charged with two misdemeanor counts of battery and a misdemeanor count of trespassing and refusing to leave private property, according to documents filed Thursday by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.
The charges stem from a Dec. 7 incident in which Faeth allegedly attacked a county probation officer who has asked to only be identified by her last name, Cortez, and her husband while Faeth was off-duty.
Faeth was intoxicated at the time, according to a probable cause declaration signed by Oakland police Sgt. Richard Vass in February.
The night of the incident, the victim was at her Oakland hills home with her husband and two children when a man showed up at her front door at about 9:30 p.m., according to Cortez.
After banging on the door, the man -- later identified as Faeth -- allegedly tried to get inside the home by shaking the door handle and trying to push it open.
When the woman's husband stepped outside to confront Faeth, he was kicked in the stomach, according to the family's account.
As the woman came out of the home, Faeth started walking toward the side yard, where a second man was seen running out of the backyard. He was seen holding what might have been a gun, according to Cortez.
Police spokeswoman Officer Johnna Watson said back in February that Faeth was not armed when he was arrested, but regarding the man Cortez's attorney identified as Sgt. Joe Turner, Watson said only, "no weapon was seen."
Turner, who was not arrested and has not been charged in connection with the incident, was the same officer who had shot and killed Richard Perkins while impounding cars involved in a sideshow in East Oakland two weeks prior.
Faeth allegedly jumped on Cortez before he was arrested, grabbing her in a bear hug and bringing her to the ground. The victim's account of this alleged battery was similar to what police said in the probable cause declaration.
The woman suffered bruises on her arm and leg in the assault, according to her attorney. Being only in her bathrobe, she said she felt "humiliated" and "exposed."
Attorney John Burris, who has handled numerous police misconduct cases against Oakland police, filed a claim against the city on the woman's behalf on Feb. 24.
The family is seeking a thorough and comprehensive investigation of the incident and unspecified monetary damages.
In Faeth's court case, his next scheduled appearance is April 21 at 2 p.m.
Oakland police did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the criminal charges.
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