Brickbat: Tales of the Highway Patrol

The California Highway Patrol has agreed to pay $4.5 million to a woman who says she was sexually assaulted by former officer Xavier Aguirre. The woman was a passenger in an SUV stopped by Aguirre. Aguirre turned off the dashcam in his patrol car and directed the woman to the back of the SUV, where she said he groped her breasts and genitalia under the pretense of frisking her. Aguirre later told investigators that he turned the camera off because he was scared for his safety. She said he showed up later that day at her home and assaulted her again. An investigation confirmed he used law enforcement databases to find her home and showed up there. Aguirre was fired, but the Orange County district attorney's office declined to file charges against him. Aguirre denied any wrongdoing.