By The Vanguard Staff
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Phillip Sanchez, a former Richmond Police Sgt., was sentenced to two years of felony formal probation after he violated terms of his Deferred Entry of Judgment (DEJ) in San Francisco Superior Court for a guilty plea to only a misdemeanor in 2021 for a vandalism charge.
Sanchez was arrested for discharging a firearm multiple times while intoxicated at the San Francisco Four Seasons Hotel in 2017, according to the SF District Attorney’s Office. Damages were estimated at $3,368.
Sanchez was arrested in Strayton, OR, in December 2022 for unlawful possession of a concealed firearm in a bar, a “clear violation” of his DEJ deal that kept him out of jail in SF, said the DA’s Office.
Now, Sanchez is facing criminal charges in Oregon, on top of the formal felony probation for the SF incident, added the DA, who said Sanchez was to abstain from alcohol and opioids, stay away from the location where the original offense took place, pay restitution to the victim, obey all laws, and have completed therapy.
Had he successfully completed his DEJ, he would have only been convicted of a misdemeanor charge. Now it’s a felony. And he could be imprisoned.
“When arrested he produced two police badges, one of which said ‘Marshall’ and ‘AZ’ and claimed to be a retired Richmond officer. Sanchez falsely represented that he was retired from the department, when in fact he was terminated. Sanchez’s firearm was seized at the time of his arrest by Stayton police,” said the SF DA’s Office.
According to a statement issued by the SF DA, “Recklessly discharging his weapon put lives in danger and undermined the public’s trust in law enforcement whose basic responsibility is to ensure public safety. This sentence sends a message that law enforcement officers who violate the law will be held accountable.”
The DA’s Office said that as of May 3, 2023, “18 firearms registered to Mr. Sanchez were unaccounted for and must be relinquished as part of the conviction for his felony. Failure to do so would result in the violation of his felony probation terms and may result in a prison sentence.”
“Mr. Sanchez is being held accountable for his crimes that put lives in danger and for failure to abide by the court’s order,” said Assistant District Attorney Darby Williams. “Law enforcement officers must abide by the same rules as everyone else and face consequences for reckless and dangerous behavior that is criminal.”
