Sheriff’s deputy charged with on-duty assault

LOS ANGELES » A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has been charged with assaulting a woman last year while he was on duty and then lying about it, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Deputy Konrad Thieme and two other deputies responded to a disturbance call in the San Fernando Valley on April 10, 2021, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Thieme allegedly assaulted a 32-year-old woman there.

Prosecutors allege that Thieme then wrote a false account of what had occurred in a report. Parts of the incident were captured on his body-worn video camera.

The alleged victim, Sarah Jafari, filed a lawsuit in December against Los Angeles County and the deputy, alleging she was deprived of her civil rights during the assault. The lawsuit has since been moved to federal court and remains ongoing.

Thieme, 37, is charged with two felony counts of assault under the color of authority and one felony count of making false statements in a report.

“We look forward to all of the facts and evidence coming to light in this case and proving Deputy Thieme’s innocence,” his attorney, Steven Alvarado, said in an email.

Thieme’s arraignment has not yet been scheduled.

“Police accountability is an essential component of a fair and just criminal legal system,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “Our office will not tolerate abuses of power that result in criminal acts by law enforcement officers who are sworn to protect our community.”

Deputy Alejandra Parra, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s department, said that the agency investigated the alleged assault and presented the case to the prosecutors. Thieme is on paid administrative leave.