Source: Alameda Co. Sheriff's deputy in beating, bribery case fired

Byby Melanie Woodrow KGO logo
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Source: Alameda Co. Sheriff's deputy in beating, bribery case fired
ABC7 News was first to report that a Alameda County Sheriff's deputy who's being investigated in connection with bribing a couple that witnessed a November alleyway beating no longer works for the department.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- ABC7 News was first to report that an Alameda County Sheriff's deputy who's being investigated in connection with bribing a couple that witnessed a November alleyway beating no longer works for the department.

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So far Deputy Shawn Osborne is not facing any criminal charges in connection with the alleged bribery of a couple that witnessed two other Alameda County Sheriff's deputies allegedly beating Stanislav Petrov in a Mission District alley. Now, Osborne is out of job and there are questions about what the alleged misconduct means for his other cases.

In the surveillance video you can see Deputies Paul Wieber and Luis Santamaria hitting Petrov more than 40 times. Both of those deputies are facing criminal charges. They remain on paid administrative leave.

In enhanced video you can see a third deputy, Osborne, swing a gold chain allegedly taken from Petrov and given to a couple who witnessed his beating.

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ACSO says that video was a big piece of its internal investigation.

"What I can tell you is Deputy Osborne no longer works for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office," said Sgt. Ray Kelly.

Reliable sources say Osborne was fired.

In March, Sheriff Greg Ahern said, "If that allegation is true that's one of the most horrific things I ever heard."

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"He's sad that this happened he feels betrayed but he knows that the public trust is the most important thing for him," Kelly said.

Osborne had nearly 20 years with ACSO.

In an emailed statement, his attorney said:

"The departmental misconduct investigation remains on-going, with no final determinations having yet been made. Once completed, Deputy Osborne is confident that he will be exonerated of the theft and bribery allegations. Deputy Osborne has served the Department with distinction and honor for nearly twenty years, and is committed to clearing both his name and the department's reputation of these spurious allegations."

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San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi said the beating and subsequent alleged bribery may have never come to light had this surveillance video not been turned over to his office.

"A public agency has an obligation in my view to inform the public as to what actions were taken, particularly when you have an allegation such as bribing a witness," he said. "If you're willing to mishandle evidence, destroy evidence, and bribe witnesses you're probably likely to do it in other cases."

Petrov is in federal custody on unrelated gun and drug charges. He has a pending civil lawsuit.

His civil attorney Michael Haddad released a statement on Friday:


"We are planning to bring Deputy Osborne and the other involved deputies into court very soon, where they will be held accountable for their civil rights violations, misconduct, and attempted cover-up."

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