Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, once a respected law enforcement leader who was convicted of thwarting a federal investigation into his department’s violent, scandal-plagued jail system, has reported to a Texas prison to begin a three-year term behind bars. Baca, 77, arrived Tuesday at the Federal Correctional Institution La Tuna, a low-security prison outside El Paso, according to a representative for the facility. Advertisement“While Sheriff Baca’s trial and sentencing were replete with significant legal errors, Sheriff Baca approaches the sentence he will serve with the same humility and respect for the law that he demonstrated during his 50-year career with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,” said Nathan Hochman, his longtime defense attorney. At trial, federal prosecutors focused on Baca’s efforts to impede the investigation. For the second trial, prosecutors overhauled the case and Anderson issued a string of rulings that hamstrung the defense.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 05, 2020 21:33 UTC