Officer who reportedly tickled corpse is off force

Aaron Stringer ‘no longer works here,’ Bakersfield police spokesman says.

A Bakersfield police officer who was accused of tickling the feet of a man fatally shot by police in November no longer works for the department, an official said Tuesday.

Bakersfield police spokesman Sgt. Joe Grubbs confirmed that Aaron Stringer “no longer works here.” Any other information will be disseminated through the city of Bakersfield’s human resources division, he added.

Human resources staff did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear whether Stringer resigned or was fired.

Stringer is accused of grabbing Ramiro James Villegas’ head and touching his feet as Villegas lay dead on a gurney at Kern Medical Center, according to a lawsuit filed by Villegas’ family in June. He also reportedly told another officer he loves “playing with dead bodies,” then laughed.

The officer said “tickle, tickle” as he touched Villegas’ feet and then pulled on one of his toes, commenting that rigor mortis had not set in, the lawsuit alleged.

A trainee apparently was so disturbed by Stringer’s comments that she reported it to her superiors, the family’s attorneys said.

The family’s civil rights lawsuit against the department said Villegas was unlawfully shot by officers and that his body was then “desecrated” at the Kern County coroner’s office by the officer.

The lawsuit also alleged that Villegas’ killing is part of a pattern in which Bakersfield police officers shoot to kill young, unarmed Latino men. Police shot Villegas, 22, on Nov. 13, after he led police on a pursuit and crashed into a light pole.

The lawsuit says Villegas was driving home to take care of his mother when police tried to pull him over.

Police reported that Villegas reached for his waistband, said Ben Meiselas, who is representing the Villegas family with attorney Mark Geragos.

But the lawsuit includes what it says are excerpts from multiple witness accounts in the police report that state Villegas had his hands up and did not provoke officers to shoot him. He was unarmed.

A coroner’s report shows Villegas was shocked with a Taser and shot five times, including in the head, leg and groin.

The lawsuit alleges that when Stringer tampered with the body, he eliminated the chance of an accurate autopsy and traumatized the victim’s family.

“The secret removal of one BPD cop ... does not solve the structural and institutional problems with this department,” Geragos said in a statement Tuesday. “The fundamental issues involving the lack of training, the improper use of force and the manipulation of evidence by BPD must be fixed to restore order and confidence in the Police Department.”