Nicole Bell is charged with one felony count each of accessing and altering computer data without permission, altering, planting or concealing evidence as a peace officer, and assault by an officer, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
“Tampering or destroying evidence tarnishes law enforcement and creates mistrust among the public,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a news release.
The case was filed for warrant on June 4, and arraignment is expected to be scheduled at a later date.
The charges stem from a incident that occurred July 30, 2019, when Bell responded to a call in Lancaster.
“Bell is accused of assaulting a man while he sat in the back of a patrol vehicle. A family member recorded some of the incident on a cell phone and Bell allegedly deleted the video from the phone,” according to the LADA news release.
Further details on the incident were not immediately available.
The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
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ACAB? says
This just doesn’t surprise me at all. After all of the things I’ve witnessed our sheriffs do, these kinds of stories are just expected now. The Lancaster Sheriff department has a long way to go before they regain the trust and respect of our residents.
I don’t feel safe anymore, you cant even count on the deputies to come when you’re in need. They literally don’t even bother showing up 98% of the time. And when they do show up it’s 8+ hours later, sometimes days.
I’ve seen the difference in how they respond to incidents in more upscale neighborhoods vs the poorer and more diverse neighborhoods. They honestly should be ashamed.
There are some “good” deputies out there, but they are not willing to stand up for whats right or call out their buddies when they cross a line. The punishment for speaking out against a fellow officer is hazing and bullying. I have many family and friends that are deputies in Lancaster, so I’m not making this up, it’s what I’ve been told.
So deputies like this woman will continue to abuse their authority, and the rest of the deputies will continue to cover for them. Something needs to change. Our community deserves to feel safe and protected by our deputies, not afraid and ignored.
Recall Gascon says
But can’t blame her, her brain wasn’t fully developed at the time of the incident. Per Gascon and his research.
Video Deletion says
It is just one credibility disaster after another with this agency.