Judge Dismisses Assault Under the Color of Authority Charge Against San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputy Accused of Kicking Suspect
RANCHO CUCAMONGA - After a month-long trial, the criminal case for felony assault by a public officer against San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Corie Smith was dismissed in the interest of justice by Judge Ingrid Uhler on June 7, 2024. The jury hung after days of deliberation, failing to reach a verdict related to the arrest of a fleeing suspect.
The defense team of Kasey A. Castillo of KC Law Group and Michael S. Selyem of Visco & Selyem worked tirelessly to present the strongest case to the jurors regarding intricacies of police use of force. Aiding counsel in that endeavor was Jeffrey Martin, Esq. of DSI Consulting, LLC, an expert in human factors/forensic video analysis/police use of force.
On July 24, 2024, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office confirmed it has declined to re-file and retry the case, and for good reason. The court opined the case, which involved video surveillance of the arrest, would end in the same result no matter how many times it was tried.
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Kasey A. Castillo, Esq. is the Principal Attorney of KC Law Group where she handles first-responder criminal and administrative defense, general counsel matters and police foundation/non-profit compliance.
