Officer faces charges after he allegedly beat lesbian

Dallas Voice ^ | Aug 3rd, 2007 | Elizabeth White

[Daffynition]

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio police have opened an internal affairs investigation into the behavior of a veteran officer accused of using a racial slur and beating a lesbian woman who asked him to put out his cigar at a community pool.

Tamara Vaughan, 18, said her jaw was pushed in and she still cannot open it far after an attack by Detective Keith Alfaro, 35, who was off-duty.

Vaughan was hospitalized. She has bruises on her arm that she says are from Alfaro and estimates he hit her 25 times, including putting his forearm on her throat and choking her.

Alfaro was arrested last week and charged with aggravated assault and evading and resisting arrest.

Ed Shaughnessy, an attorney for Alfaro, said the case is pending before a grand jury and that Alfaro has not been formally indicted.

“Hopefully he won’t be,” Shaughnessy said. He added that his client maintains his innocence but would not elaborate.

The July 22 incident happened at the pool at the housing subdivision where Vaughan lives with her grandmother, aunt and uncle and cousins.

According to a written statement signed by Vaughan, she was at the pool with four cousins when the smoke from Alfaro’s cigar began to bother her. When she asked Alfaro, who was on the phone, to put it out, they got into a verbal fight.

Vaughan’s statement said Alfaro then used the N-word against Vaughan, who is black, and made comments about Vaughan’s appearance, saying “You wanna look like a man, I’m gonna treat you like a man.”

Vaughan said she was wearing swimming trunks and a T-shirt at the pool. Vaughan, who is a lesbian, said Tuesday, July 31, she believes Alfaro was attacking her sexual orientation.

Alfaro then allegedly hit Vaughan, who fell to the ground. She said he continued to hit her and then laid on top of her, placing his arm across her neck to choke her. After he stopped, she said she tried to get up but that he then started hitting her again.

During the altercation, Vaughan said her 15-year-old cousin jumped on Alfaro’s back to pull him off of her. Afterward, Vaughan’s cousin was yelling at Alfaro, who allegedly responded, “I don’t speak ghetto. I don’t understand Ebonics. Speak English.”

The incident is being investigated by Bexar County, since it happened outside city limits.

Alfaro’s has been placed on administrative duty during the police internal affairs investigation, police Sgt. Gabe Trevino said.

Vaughan and her father met with San Antonio Police Chief William McManus Tuesday, but said they won’t be satisfied until Alfaro is off the force. “The officer at the end of the day got paid for beating me,” Vaughan said. “I would love for him to be suspended. Fired. Something. But suspended for right now would be fine.”

[Willow25]

I still think there is more to this story than what is reported..Who cares if it was a lesbian why do they have to mention that..I have never seen an article that says someone beat up a straight guy..It was a person that got beat up or maybe not who knows and how do we know you were there..Just asking questions I would like to know..You see I know some great police officers and none of them beat up on women these guys risk their lives all day every day to take care of us..I have so much respect for them just like I have respect for our young men and women in the military..

[fr_freak]

I’m guessing you’ve never been in a fight before if you think 25 hits equals a coma or death. I’ve been on both ends of some severe beatings and never got worse than a few dozen stitches.

Are you an 18 year old girl, getting in fist fights with a grown man who, presumably as a policeman, knows how to deliver a punch? If not, then what are you bringing that up for?

If you're a guy, I'm guessing you've never gotten into a fight with someone who knew what the hell they were doing. Supposedly this guy had her pinned down and hit her 25 times. I don't claim to be a ninja bad-ass or anything, but if I get 25 good shots in on someone, stitches will be the least of their worries. That's why I find it hard to believe that he actually punched or hit her. If she meant that he slapped her around, why didn't she just say that? Why embellish it? Either way the guy goes to jail, so why lie?

[dragnet2]

Off duty male cops beating kinky lesbians around the pool?

Community pools are so multiculti, everyone bathing in the same water...Urp....

[Sue Perkick]

Unless she put her hands on him first, does it matter?

[Sue Perkick]

There usually is. Time & evidence will tell.

[Sue Perkick]

Exactly

[MrEdd]

However, if you strip away occupation, race and sexual preference, is it OK for a man to hit a woman?

A woman? ABSOLUTELY.
A lady? no.

[William Terrell]

Fortunately she didn't or she would killed another human being that was reacting in a nonlife threatening (even though painful) way over her attempt to make that human being toe her line.

We know that the motive was to "toe her line" because, even though there was a no smoking rule in the area, if she didn't think cigar smoke smelled bad she wouldn't have said anything or went to the area authority.

I still think the best thing would have blown a cloud of smoke in her face and ignored her.

[pray4liberty]

Good luck, Ms. Vaughan. Unfortunately, Monsters in the System get off. A friend of mine--a Gulf War veteran, retired cop, and disabled to boot--was once physically attacked and beaten by three off-duty police officers. Did Internal Affairs do anything? A resounding NO. A school administrator in Delaware verbally abuses several children, traumatizing them with her tirades. She should lose her social workers' license and be fired and never be allowed to work anywhere near children again. Did that happen? NO. There is no enforcement mechanism when monsters in the system step out of line and abuse their power....and they know it. There are NO consequences for them, since their buddies in the system will cover up and lie for them.

It will be a long road to justice for this woman, if she ever gets it.

[lentulusgracchus]

Unless she put her hands on him first, does it matter?

Yeah, it does.

• Assault does not require "hands-on". The person defending himself against assault need only perceive the threat, e.g. of a person's walking up to him with a levelled shotgun.
  
  
• This is Texas. The grand jury will likely refuse to indict if a perfect idiot insists on displaying gross, insulting, and terminally stupid bad manners and gets his/her/its ass beat.

[Sue Perkick]

And yet he is the one charged with aggravated assault and evading and resisting arrest. Doesn’t sound like someone defending themselves. I still think there’s more to this story. I’m waiting for actual evidence either way. But if it was ONLY because he was “mad” or because she’s a lesbian he was way out of line & deserves to be punished.

[rlmorel]

Since this thread involves legal proceedings...GUILTY!

[wes512]

see, he was guilty, he was fired from the police , now he faces the grand jury, hope he gets locked up,

[rlmorel]

Now THAT’S what I call a long range ping...:)