TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Monday, a Pima County Superior Court judge heard the latest testimony in the trial of Ricardo Garcia.
Garcia, a former Pima County Sheriff's Department sergeant who was fired from his job, is accused of sexually assaulting a female deputy at a private Christmas party he hosted off-duty in December of 2022.
Heading into court, Garcia pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault. Prosecutors argued the deputy was told by Garcia the day after the party not to say she couldn't remember what happened. They also told the court the plaintiff had been in pain after not having had sexual intercourse in months.
Later in their argument, prosecutors said Garcia’s coworker saw him with few clothes on before then seeing Garcia fully naked. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys conceded that both Garcia and the deputy had a history of sexual relations dating back to a decade ago.
An internal PCSD report dating back to January 2023 said Garcia and a colleague helped a guest — the plaintiff in question — into a spare bedroom after she'd drunk a large quantity of alcohol.
The colleague's name was redacted from court documents, but the report did say they called PCSD the morning after the party to report a sexual assault. In his statement, the caller said he'd gone back to that room three times, and found the door was closed.
When that guest opened the door, he apparently found Garcia and the woman undressed, with Garcia telling the man to stop interrupting her. The two men had an argument, Garcia told the colleague to leave his home, and the man later called a deputy for help.
Garcia's defense attorneys introduced Ring camera video, showing a moment where Garcia and the deputy kissed outside his home the same night of the alleged assault. Defense lawyers also introduced statements the plaintiff apparently made after the party, saying Garcia did not force his way into the encounter.
Later, the defense also pointed to a call log, arguing the co-worker who allegedly saw Garcia and the deputy together, ultimately waited too long to call 911 and his superiors.
In the months after Garcia's firing and subsequent arraignment, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office wrote a letter to the Pima County Board of Supervisors, saying Sheriff Chris Nanos did not do anything criminally wrong in investigating and responding to the allegations, though lawyers did express concern about how deputies handled the immediate situation.
When KGUN asked about the situation about two months ago, Nanos said he’s confident he handled it well.
KGUN9 will continue to follow the latest testimony in court and provide updates on the trial.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
