Former Pima County Sheriff’s Deputy sex assault trial about to be handed to jury | News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) — After seven days of testimony the sexual assault trial against former Pima County Deputy Sgt. Ricky Garcia is about to head to the jury to decide his fate.

Garcia is being accused of sexually assaulting a female subordinate during a holiday party at his house in 2022.

On Thursday the state and defense had closing arguments.

The state began by saying what the case is not and what it believes it is actually about.

“It is not about whether the Sheriff erred in keeping the case in-house, it is not about what level of naked someone was before it’s ok to use the term naked,” the prosecutor said. “What it is about is the defendant who was a law enforcement officer who was entrusted to protect the community and deputies working for him, who was so entitled due to his real or perceived relationship with Nanos and upper chain of command that he took advantage of the only single female deputy at the party.”

In his closing defense attorney Louis Fidel tried to raise questions over the value of evidence presented by the prosecution, urging the jury to consider what is objective versus subjective evidence.

He pointed to the claims and testimony from the deputy who first reported seeing Garcia making alleged sexual advances towards the victim while she was intoxicated, claiming to have warned Garcia three times during the party that she was too drunk for sexual activity.

Fidel said “objective” evidence like audio recordings taken from the home which he said didn’t prove any of the claims.

“[He] claimed in his testimony that he kept telling Ricky she’s done, she’s too drunk. You remember? Including that third time in the bedroom it wasn’t on the audio recording, it’s not there he did not tell him,” Fidel said.

The jury will be handed the case on Friday.

 

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