A San Diego police officer charged in alleged domestic violence incidents involving his ex-girlfriend was ordered to stand trial Thursday on felony and misdemeanor charges.
Seth Tate, 32, was arrested in March after police raided the alleged victim’s apartment in Little Italy.
Prosecutors later charged Tate in connection with four separate incidents that allegedly occurred between January and March of this year.
The alleged victim testified at a preliminary hearing in San Diego Superior Court on Thursday that she was kicked by Tate on one occasion and described other times when he forcefully grabbed her arms, leaving her with bruises.
She also described another incident in which she and Tate were in an Uber and he allegedly grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against one of the car’s windows.
Defense attorney Sean Jones argued that a group of other men were in the Uber at the time and that none of them corroborated his claims when questioned by investigators.
He also said the woman had a camera in her apartment where many of the alleged incidents occurred, but that footage of those incidents was not captured, apparently because there was not enough storage space to store the footage.
“There are significant questions about credibility,” said Jones, who argued that the woman was intoxicated during the incidents and that Tate said she physically assaulted him on at least one occasion.
Assistant District Attorney Carlos Campbell said there was “no evidence of any motive for (the victim) to lie. There is no evidence that she is not credible.”
The couple had been dating for a few months at the time of Tate’s arrest, and Campbell described Tate as “aggressive, jealous and physical with her” throughout the relationship.
Tate remains out of custody.
The San Diego Police Department said Tate, who has been with the department for nearly three years, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.
California Daily Newspapers
