OC Deputy Is Accused of Pepper Spraying Teen's Pizza

That tears it! There are a few things in life you just don't mess with. You don't mess with a man's dog. You don't mess with a man's home and if in Texas? NEVER mess with a man's hat! However, we can now add a new item to the list, thanks to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

An Orange County Sheriff’s deputy is facing jail time after being accused of pepper spraying a teen's pizza without his knowledge during a traffic stop last year, prosecutors said.

Of all the low, dirty, underhanded things to be doing? Oh... I can't imagine. His PIZZA? What? This was funny?

Tavera, 30, allegedly pulled over a 19-year-old named as John Doe for a traffic violation on Sept. 8, 2012, when he noticed a pizza in the back seat and pepper sprayed it without the teen noticing, the release stated.

The teen returned home to share the pizza with four friends, and all five people became sick as a result of ingesting the pepper spray-contaminated pie. He became suspicious and notified the sheriff’s department of his interaction with the deputy, the DA's office said.

Source

I hope he has all the time he could ever have wanted to laugh about this...in the Orange County Jail. Oh, that should be a lovely place to be for an O.C. Sheriff's Deputy. I'm sure the inmates will all find the whole thing hilarious too. Indeed... What a cute prank. NOT.

At least this guy had the presence of mind to immediately call the Sheriff's Dept and report it, in time to have the investigation determine what had happened.

What if the pizza was brought home for his family which included a 5-7 year old? I think he ought to be charged with assault.

Or forced to eat a can of pepper spray. Either would suffice.

reply to post by boncho

Well, it looks like he's facing misdemeanor assault and battery charges for spraying the Pizza. The arraignment is on Monday and I'm going to guess it doesn't go unremarked by news people. I'll see about catching the follow-up with the outcome on Monday. It doesn't sound like anyone in the DA's office found humor in it though. What a cheesy way to throw a very real career. Really, it's beyond my thinking that a cop would waste everything over a stunt like that. Talk about the arrogance and 'I AM the law' thinking that one had. Deputy Pepper is about to meet Mr. Legal System from a side I'll bet HE never thought he'd be sitting on.

I have friends that are cops. They would love to kick this cops ass....... IMO the OC police Dept better cut thos4e kids a check quick!

Sadly the asshole cops are the standard all others are measured by.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

Well, it looks like he's facing misdemeanor assault and battery charges for spraying the Pizza.

NOT GOOD ENOUGH!

McDonald’s Employee Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison for Spitting in Drinks

An employee at a McDonalds spit into a woman's and her daughter's ice teas, but the women saw the phlegm and returned the drinks without drinking any of it.

Not so with the pizza and the kids that got sick, who weren't even in the car with the young man who was pulled over!

Tampering with food is a federal offense, which means that Washington could face up to 20 years in prison if he’s found guilty of the crime.

Sure, we trust corporate fast food chains to serve us clean and fresh food, so when an employee spits in, or worse, poisons the food, it destroys our trust. We invest more trust in the police officers on the road, that are charged with protecting the public safety, than we do in McDonald employees, so how much more should this police officer be punished for breaking that trust?

Something seems off, seems that if pepper spray were to be sprayed in a vehicle, the teen would've had realized long before he got home. I mean, I'm no expert, but wouldn't the spray be all over that car as its an aerosol?

Don't get me wrong. Not trying to say that an LEO wouldn't do this, I have little faith in law enforcement nowadays, I just have questions.

After being found guilty by a jury of his peers, the punishment should be as follows:

1. 30 days strapped in a secured chair in a locked room.

2. food and water from the worst pizza place known.

3. at random times, pepper spray shall be released in close proximity.

4. no bathroom privileges.

5. medical monitoring at the discretion of the department of corrections.

6. video tape verification for the victims.

Originally posted by xuenchen
After being found guilty by a jury of his peers, the punishment should be as follows:

1. 30 days strapped in a secured chair in a locked room.

2. food and water from the worst pizza place known.

3. at random times, pepper spray shall be released in close proximity.

4. no bathroom privileges.

5. medical monitoring at the discretion of the department of corrections.

6. video tape verification for the victims.

Because you are so perfect and have never done anything in your life deserving of the same treatment? It sounds to me like this officer has some sort of anger problem, and needs to undergo psychological evaluation. Obviously it was wrong to "spike" the kid's pizza, but I am sure its nothing a nice check from the gubmint' cant fix lol. But enough with the over-the-top punishments, imagine if everything you ever did wrong in your life was done back to you in the same fashion. "So as you judge, the same will you be judged, and to the same measure."

reply to post by honested3




Jeez...

it was a joke !!

Don't be so serious.

See, I'm not so perfect after all.

At least the 'officer' didn't shoot anybody !!

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


It is not assault and battery.
What the Deputy did was called 'poisoning'.

Almost want to call BS to this. If anyone has ever sprayed pepper spray, you know it will cause an immediate effect to your immediate area. If said deputy sprayed the stuff onto the john D's pizza, John D would have smelt the fumes. Regardless whether or not it was sprayed into the pizza outside the vehicle. They would have puked before eating the pizza.

I say the kids are punk asses are just as fault as the punk ass cop.

Don't believe me, go mess with police strength pepper spray, even civilian pepper spray... You can't stomach it at all.

I think the kids were pissed off that a 'peer' stopped them. Hope the town or whatever sues these kids and their legal guardians for damages.

No.

Despite what the teen claims, if OC had been deployed inside his vehicle, he'd have been forced to exit immediately. We always had to activate air evac systems to clear the place out, otherwise the entire cell block would be affected. It's potent, and it doesn't take much to cause throat irritation.

As for tampering with food, I don't see that sticking. First Defense X2 is one of the most common sprays issued, and its is 100% FDA approved food grade cyan pepper. We used it in our chili. You might as well call the old "loose lid on the saltshaker" a felony.

Unless there's dash cam video footage of the kid coughing, I'm calling bs.

Originally posted by honested3
Because you are so perfect and have never done anything in your life deserving of the same treatment? It sounds to me like this officer has some sort of anger problem, and needs to undergo psychological evaluation. Obviously it was wrong to "spike" the kid's pizza, but I am sure its nothing a nice check from the gubmint' cant fix lol. But enough with the over-the-top punishments, imagine if everything you ever did wrong in your life was done back to you in the same fashion. "So as you judge, the same will you be judged, and to the same measure."

I agree that the "torture" that poster suggested it not acceptable, but you sound like you're willing to let this go entirely because the officer "has issues"?

So, you could consider all crimes in the same way, finding excuses for behavior which became assault or worse.

The cop is a nasty piece of work, has betrayed the trust of the public, risked the heath and lives of four teenagers, and all because he's another arrogant pr*ck given a uniform.

This is a true story:

Time: summer 1996
Place: Military Police Station Fort Eustis VA.

2200 hrs I finish beginning shift inspection of MP's and send them out on patrol. I walk back inside the station and hear this conversation between the Desk SSG and the RTO (radio/telephone operator) MP Private.
PVT "dammit they forgot my hot sauce at the drive thru (Taco Bell)
SSG "so?"
PVT " I can't eat my tacos without hot sauce"
SSG "then use your pepper spray"
PVT"what?"
SSG"its made of the same crap just use a little"


The PVT then proceeds to open a soft taco and spray his OC on it. He closes the taco and takes a bite large enough to consume half of the soft taco. The PVT then begins a raging coughing fit and chunks of chewed taco is falling out of his mouth as he is running to the latrine. I turn to the SSG who has the biggest grin on his face.

ME"you're a D**K"
SSG"True but that is one dumb PVT"

Penalty: Make the cop eat it.

Originally posted by boncho
What if the pizza was brought home for his family which included a 5-7 year old? I think he ought to be charged with assault.

Or forced to eat a can of pepper spray. Either would suffice.

that is assault!!
imagine the national outrage if a fast food employee did this..they would be in prison for years.
I just remember a kid put pubic hair on a cops Wendy's burger and the crap hit the fan!!

What a callous and dangerous act.

Pepper spray is made from capsaicin, the 'hotness' in a pepper. As a pepper grower I know how powerful pepper spray can get.

A Jalapeno is hot enough.

Habeneros are 100 times stronger than Jalapenos.

Ghost peppers are three times hotter than Habeneros, and can induce heart attacks.

Pepper sprays are more potent than ghost peppers.

So not only was this cop incredibly cruel, but could've been a murderer as well. Forget about being demoted to paperwork, he needs to be charged, suspended, and forced to see a shrink. Nobody in their right mind would do this, especially an officer whose seen the effects of pepper spray first hand.

Originally posted by Thecakeisalie
What a callous and dangerous act.

Pepper spray is made from capsaicin, the 'hotness' in a pepper. As a pepper grower I know how powerful pepper spray can get.

A Jalapeno is hot enough.

Habeneros are 100 times stronger than Jalapenos.

Ghost peppers are three times hotter than Habeneros, and can induce heart attacks.

Pepper sprays are more potent than ghost peppers.

So not only was this cop incredibly cruel, but could've been a murderer as well. Forget about being demoted to paperwork, he needs to be charged, suspended, and forced to see a shrink. Nobody in their right mind would do this, especially an officer whose seen the effects of pepper spray first hand.

Aye, this police officer appears to be a sociopath and shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a badge. But we live in a time where sociopaths are what the police are seeking out for their ranks, and "crazy" isn't something that they care about. I have a friend who's brother came back from Iraq, and he has a serious case of PTSD, and anger management problems. I've met the guy, he's completely unstable and the local sherif's dept hired him without any psychological evaluation.

I wonder if this is some kind of odd internet or jack-ass humor that I don't get?

What would possess a person to think this was a good idea? Anyone have any ideas?