Special to the Vanguard
Oakland, CA – In September 2020, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley charged Defendant San Leandro Police Officer Jason Fletcher with voluntary manslaughter for the unlawful killing of Steven Taylor. Mr. Taylor’s death in the San Leandro Walmart was a traumatic and tragic event for our entire community.
Yesterday, the Steven Taylor case took another significant turn when the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office filed a misdemeanor complaint against former Alameda County District Attorney prosecutor, Amilcar “Butch” Ford, based on his unlawful and unethical interference with the case.
According to the Alameda DA’s office, “On or about April 26, 2023, former ADA Ford provided confidential work product information to Defendant Fletcher’s attorney and authored a declaration of support of Defendant on a case he worked on while he was still an employee of the DA’s office.”
They explained, “Ford’s unprecedented behavior violated Business and Professions Code Section 6131(b) and carries the additional serious 
consequence of mandatory disbarment. Prior to filing the complaint, our Office engaged in a thorough consultation with the California Department of Justice, which confirmed that there are no conflicts preventing our office from prosecuting this case and that the DOJ will not be handling the matter.”
The office added, “We have, in an abundance of caution, established an ethical wall removing Senior Assistant District Attorney Kwixuan Maloof from the handling of the case solely to avoid the appearance of impropriety.”
In a statement, they explained, “While we recognize the public’s interest in this unusual case, as prosecutors, we understand the importance of ethical rules that restrict what we can publicly disclose about pending cases. However, we wish to reiterate our dedication to conducting ourselves with integrity and fairness throughout this process. We will not involve ourselves in, nor respond to, any personal or political attacks.
“We are committed to ensuring a fair, speedy, and public resolution of both the prosecution of Defendant Fletcher and Defendant Ford while upholding the principles of equal justice under the law for all residents,” they added.
