The same Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy who is accused of taking and sharing inappropriate photos of Kobe Bryant’s corpse was also embroiled in another recent scandal when he was shown on video kneeling on an inmate’s head for three minutes in March 2019. 2021.
That deputy, Douglas Johnson, was relieved of his post last year, according to the sheriff. But he is now the subject of another dispute in federal court. between Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, and Los Angeles County.
Vanessa Bryant sued the county in September 2020, accusing the county sheriff and fire department workers of taking and sharing photos of human remains of the helicopter crash that killed the NBA legend and his daughter in January 2020.
In his defense, the county filed court papers Friday seeking to prevent the jail incident involving Johnson from coming up in Bryant’s trial against the county scheduled for late July.
“The March 2021 county jail incident has nothing to do with this case, which focuses on allegations that the county violated the plaintiff’s rights by taking and sharing photos of the January 26, 2021, helicopter crash. 2020,” the county stated in court documents. “However, (Bryant) will not agree not to present evidence or arguments on this separate incident.”
A judge could decide the matter before trial.
Bryant’s attorneys say the county invaded their privacy, stating in court documents last year that Johnson took photos at the crash scene, including four that “focused closely on body parts of Kobe and (daughter) Gianna.” .
“Johnson’s descriptions of these photos are disturbingly graphic and horrific, and are not repeated here to protect the victims and their families, but have been submitted sealed along with coroner’s testimony linking two of Johnson’s photos to Kobe and another two with Gianna. Bryant’s legal team stated in court documents last year.
The same documents indicated that Johnson then sent all of his photos from his personal cell phone to the personal cell phone of his friend Deputy Raul Versales, leading to their further dissemination.
The county said the photos were not posted online or “publicly released” beyond county staff, except for a bar incident shortly after the accident.
“I documented the scene by taking photos,” Johnson wrote in a statement filed in court last year. He estimated that 10 photos contained the remains of the victims and stated that he did not know which victims were in the photos. He said that he deleted the photos the same day.
The next big controversy involving Johnson came more than a year after the accident when he knelt on an inmate’s head after the inmate punched him in March 2021. But that incident didn’t come to light until March 2022. , when the The Los Angeles Times reported that sheriff’s deputies tried to cover it up. to avoid bad publicity.
Similarly, Bryant’s attorneys have accused the sheriff’s department of improperly destroying evidence in the photos case. The county denies this, saying Sheriff Alex Villanueva helped prevent the photos from spreading by suggesting they be removed.
The county stated in court records that the jail incident is irrelevant to the photo lawsuit and would be highly damaging if allowed to be brought up at Bryant’s trial.
“The only reason plaintiff would seek testimony regarding Officer Johnson’s altercation with the inmate and LASD’s response is to impugn the character of Officer Johnson and Sheriff Villanueva,” the county stated. “This is improper.”
Both sides issued statements on Friday.
“We look forward to responding in court,” said Bryant’s attorney, Luis Li.
Skip Miller represents the county for the Miller Barondess firm.
“The motion filed today will prevent the plaintiff from harming the jury by bringing unproven allegations against a witness that have nothing to do with the case,” Miller stated. have made this motion.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: [email protected]
Reference-www.usatoday.com