A San Diego police officer charged with domestic violence involving his ex-girlfriend was ordered Thursday to stand trial on felony and misdemeanor counts.
Seth Tate, 32, was arrested in March after police responded to the alleged victim’s Little Italy apartment.
Prosecutors later charged Tate in connection with four separate incidents between January and March.
The woman testified during a preliminary hearing on Thursday that she had been kicked by Tate on one occasion and described others in which he forcefully grabbed her by the arms, leaving bruises.
She also described an incident in which she and Tate were in an Uber and he allegedly grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into one of the car’s windows.
Defense attorney Sean Jones argued that a group of other men were in the Uber at the time and none of them corroborated her claims when interviewed by investigators.
He also said the woman had a camera in her apartment where many of the alleged incidents occurred, yet footage of those incidents was not captured, apparently because there was not enough storage space to preserve the footage.
“There’s significant questions about credibility,” said Jones, who argued she was intoxicated during the incidents and that according to Tate, she had physically abused him on at least one occasion.
Deputy District Attorney Carlos Campbell said there was “no evidence of any motive for (the victim) to lie. There’s no evidence of her not being credible.”
The couple had been dating for a few months around the time of Tate’s arrest and Campbell described Tate as “aggressive, jealous, and physical with her” throughout the relationship.
Tate is due back in court later this month.
The San Diego Police Department said Tate, who had been with the department for nearly three years, was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
– City News Service
