Former SLO Sheriff Deputy charged with assault of female inmate and falsifying prison records
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.– Former San Luis Obispo Sheriff Deputy 40-year-old Joshua Fischer will face a federal grand jury on charges of deprivation of rights and falsifying records.
According to U.S State Attorney Martin Estrada, Fischer stands accused of assaulting an inmate in 2018 during his time as a Sheriff Deputy and lying during the course of an investigation into the incident.
Fischer dragged a topless female inmate by her hair to the ground of a jail cell after the inmate had allegedly exited and returned to the cell in the November incident, according to the indictment.
Over the course of an internal investigation by the SLO Sheriff's Department, Fischer claimed he feared for the safety of other inmates and that the inmate was becoming physical by flailing their arms as she re-entered the cell. It was said in the Department of Justice indictment that the woman was in fact not flailing and had her arms by her side at the time of the charge of excessive force.
San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department provided the following statement confirming the November incident did in fact take place.
"The Sheriff’s Office can confirm that former Senior Correctional Deputy Joshua Fischer was involved in a jail incident in November 2018. The Sheriff’s Office immediately initiated an administrative investigation into the incident for employee misconduct. As a result of that investigation, Senior Correctional Deputy Fischer was terminated from the Sheriff’s Office in March 2019. The Sheriff’s Office cannot comment any further on the matter because it’s an ongoing criminal investigation."
San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department
Fischer will be arraigned at a U.S District Court in a Los Angeles courtroom. Charges of deprivation of rights carry a maximum sentence of 10 years while falsifying prison records hold a 20-year sentence in federal prison.
