A scale and gavel
Former Pima County Sheriff's Department Sergeant Ricardo Garcia was found not guilty of sexual assault, but found guilty on two counts of attempted sexual assault and two counts of sexual abuse, marking the end of an emotional case that has put a spotlight on leadership decisions at the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
The verdict came after about four hours of jury deliberations on Friday, Dec. 13.
For the guilty charges, the victim was called back to the stand to testify for aggravating circumstances, where she said through tears that the entire experience “tremendously” impacted her career.
“In law enforcement, we call each other family. But I don’t feel I have that after this f------g incident, with somebody I thought I f------g trusted,” she said.
She testified she didn’t tell her family about the incident for a year.
“A whole year of bottling the pain, the sadness, the depression, and anxiety, to the point where my mom didn’t know what was going on and I would blow up on her for the minor things,” she said.
The jury came back about 20 minutes later, with verdicts for three aggravating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt; the victim suffered physical harm, emotional harm, and the defendant was in a position of authority over the victim.
Aggravating circumstances are factors in a case that increase the severity of a criminal act, according to the Legal Information Institute.
Mathew Cannon of the Santa Cruz County Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the case, thanked the jury and his client for a difficult case.
“I also want to point out that the victim is very brave in this case. She had a lot of things to consider and a lot to lose, and she’s a brave voice for women,” he said.
Cannon also called Christopher Aquino, the deputy who removed Garcia from the room with the unconscious victim three separate times, “a hero.”
“He also had a lot to lose, and he was in a very difficult situation,” he said.
Garcia did not take the stand in his own defense during the two-week trial.
Judge Alan Goodwin scheduled Garcia’s sentencing for Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Background and reactions
Testimony revealed the decision to not refer the investigation to a third party, even though all of the parties involved were deputies in the Pima County Sheriff's Department, came directly from Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos on the night of the party, and that Garcia had a close relationship with the sheriff. He was also president of the deputy’s union that endorsed Nanos in both the 2020 and 2024 sheriff’s races.
Shortly after the verdict was read, the Pima County Deputy’s Organization released a statement criticizing the non-guilty portion of the verdict and blaming the department for violating investigation norms.
“Throughout the trial, the defense made much of the fact that Sheriff Nanos inappropriately tried to keep the investigation of his friend Ricky Garcia inside the PCSD. This inexplicable violation of basic investigative procedures appears to have had an impact on the case. The victim was failed by her entire chain of command, to include the sheriff. She deserved better,” the statement read.
PCDO has consistently criticized the sheriff’s role in the case, especially Nanos’ decision to place the internal affairs investigation of the incident on hold in 2023. They released a vote of no confidence in Nanos over the issue early this year.
In closing arguments Thursday, the defense made the case that consent was still possible, despite Aquino testifying the victim was “dead weight.” Read more about closing arguments here.
Read a summary of this week’s testimony regarding conflict of interest concerns here
Read more about the first day of witnesses here, the second day of witnesses here, and the third day of witnesses here.
Garcia’s case sparked an Attorney General’s investigation into the Pima County Sheriff’s Department earlier this year, which found Sheriff Nanos potentially violated four areas of internal policy in his handling of the case.
Read more about the Attorney General’s findings here.
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