Daughter’s treatment after arrest raises questions in San Luis
Councilman denies trying to exert influence
SAN LUIS, Ariz. — A San Luis woman arrested on suspicion of domestic violence was cited and released after her fatherin-law, a city councilman, made calls to the police department to ask about the case.
San Luis City Councilman Mario Buchanan said he called the police department only to find out about the July 22 incident that led to the arrest of his daughter-in-law, Lizett Santos, on suspicion of assaulting another woman. He said he applied no pressure nor made any appeals to police to win her release.
Acting San Luis Police Chief Richard Jessup said he ordered Santos released with a citation after determining she posed no threat to the woman who reported being assaulted.
While Santos still faces charges in the case, the decision by Jessup allowed her to avoid jail pending an appearance before a judge to set bond.
Santos is scheduled to make her initial appearance in San Luis Municipal Court on Aug. 22 on one charge each of assault and disorderly conduct-domestic violence, according to court records.
A police report said the incident occurred shortly before noon at a home on Constitution Street that Santos and her husband, the son of the councilman, shared with two other people, one of whom was the woman who says Santos attacked her. In the report, police blacked out the name of the woman.
The woman told police Santos grabbed her by the hair, pushed her to the ground and cursed her using profanity, according to the report.
Santos told police she only slapped a cellphone out of the woman’s hand, stopping her from using the phone to record, and then pushed her, according to the report.
Given that the woman lived at the residence, police handled the incident as a domestic violence case, arresting Santos at 12:10 p.m. on suspicion of assault and disorderly conduct.
Police Sgt. Joel Sauceda, the shift supervisor on duty at the time of the incident, said in the report that he called his supervisor, Lt. Victor Figueroa, to make him aware of the case, since it involved the daughter-inlaw of a councilman.
Figueroa later called Sauceda back and told him that Buchanan had called the lieutenant to find out about the case, Sauceda said. The lieutenant asked Sauceda to call the councilman to inform him, the sergeant said in the report.
“At about (1:13 p.m.) I called (Buchanan) and he asked me if I could tell him about Lizett’s case, he also expressed that he did not want to get involved,” Sauceda said.
Sauceda added later in the report: “(Buchanan) asked if there was anything he could do to help Lizett, and I told him it would be best to wait until she was seen by a judge to see if they released her or placed a bond on her. “At about (1:24 p.m.), I received a call back from (Buchanan) who asked me if the victim were to drop charges, if Lizett would be released,” Sauceda added. The sergeant said he explained to the councilman that since the case involved alleged domestic violence, charges could not be dropped at the wish of the victim.
The arresting officer was on the way to Yuma to book Santos into jail at about 2 p.m. when Sauceda received a call from Jessup telling him to order the officer back to San Luis, the sergeant said.
“(Acting Chief of Police) Jessup told me he had made a decision on this case, he said after speaking with unknown persons he made a decision to release Lizett with a citation and court date.
“ACOP Jessup said he was told that the victim in this case was going to leave out of town to California and that there should not be any contact between the victim and Lizett. ACOP Jessup said he would take full responsibility for this decision and told me to have Officer Gomez return from his location near, Yuma, Arizona so that Lizett could be cited and released.”
In an interview with Bajo El Sol, Buchanan denied trying to intervene on behalf of Santos.
“I spoke (to police) to find out about my daughter-inlaw and nothing else. At no moment did I speak with an officer or the chief of police to ask a favor.”
Jessup said he ordered Santos released at his discretion, after determining she posed no further threat to the woman.
“That is an authority I have as chief, and that the sergeants and lieutenants have. That doesn’t mean she is freed of possible charges. Justice continues to be served. Everything was done according to law.”
He added that the calls made by Buchanan to police to find out about his daughter-in-law were appropriate. That fact that Buchanan is a councilman “doesn’t take away his right — which any citizen has — to contact an officer and ask about a specific case.”
Jessup said none of the information he has about the case suggests that Buchanan sought any special favors for his daughter-inlaw.
But one critic of City Hall, former San Luis City Councilman Carlos Bernal, said Buchanan’s actions in connection with the case should be investigated to clear up any questions.
“This is a case that can’t be dropped without being investigated, for the good of the council, the administration and the police department.”