Greenfield Police Department relieves officer of duties after battery conviction

GREENFIELD, Calif. (KION-TV)-  UPDATE ON APRIL 6, 2023, AT 5:12 PM- The Greenfield Chief of Police has announced that a police officer has been let go after he was convicted of battery Wednesday.

Christian Tapia-Leon, 31, was let go by Greenfield Police Thursday.

"Tapia is no longer a Police officer with Greenfield Police Department, and he will be decertified as a peace officer through POST," said Chief Guillermo Mixer.

Chief Mixer posted a statement saying:

We would like to provide you with an important update regarding Mr. Tapia's employment status with the City of Greenfield as a Greenfield Police Officer.

As of Thursday afternoon, Mr. Tapia is no longer employed with our department. We take all matters of personnel conduct very seriously and have taken appropriate action in this situation.

In addition, we want to inform you that Mr. Tapia will also be decertified as a Peace Officer through POST. We hold our officers to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity, and we will not tolerate any behavior that violates these standards.

Thank you for your continued support and trust in our department as we strive to serve and protect our community with honor.

Chief Guillermo Mixer

DA: Greenfield Police Officer gets month of house arrest for fighting girlfriend's ex-boyfriend

UPDATE ON APRIL 6, 2023, AT 1:44 PM- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni said an officer, currently still employed by the Greenfield Police, was convicted and sentenced for fighting his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend while off-duty.

Christian Tapia-Leon, 31, found out his girlfriend was at a family house party, and her ex-boyfriend was also there. He took a screenshot of a Snapchat video and texted it to his girlfriend, along with several expletives, said Pacioni.

Tapia and a friend showed up at the house party being held in Gonzales ten minutes later. Tapia stormed to the backyard where the ex-boyfriend was and attacked him multiple times in front of six people, said Pacioni.

Tapia's friend, who was related to the owners of the home, also tried to attack the victim but was held back by his cousins and forced out of the home along with Tapia. The victim suffered a bump with bruising to the head and declined medical attention.

Gonzales Police were called to the home, and Tapia "repeatedly lied" to officers and told them nothing happened, said the district attorney's office. He said no fight had occurred and demanded police uncuff his friend when he was detained for being drunk and belligerent.

Tapia then changed his story and said that people at the party had attacked his friend for no reason, and he was only trying to get his friend out of the house, according to Pacioni.

Numerous witnesses were interviewed, with five saying that Tapia came out of nowhere and attacked the victim, who was blindsided and fell to the ground.

"When police questioned Tapia’s friend, the man told police that Tapia was angry about the ex-boyfriend being there and beat up the ex," said Pacioni.

The following day Tapia called the homeowner and told him to lie to his supervisor, a Greenfield Police Sergent, and tell him he was only involved in the fight to try and separate people. The homeowner agreed to the favor for Tapia, said Pacioni.

Later, the phone call was reported to law enforcement along with a screenshot of the call, and the homeowner admitted to lying on Tapia's request, said Pacioni.

Tapia was sentenced to 30 days of house arrest, a condition of misdemeanor probation. Tapia is prohibited from owning a firearm for ten years because of this conviction, said Pacioni. Tapia pleaded no contest to one count of battery.

Greenfield Police told KION Tapia is on unpaid administrative leave pending their internal investigation.

To our Greenfield Community,

We want to be transparent with you about the recent criminal conviction of Officer Christian Tapia for battery. Tapia is currently on unpaid administrative leave, pending the internal investigation.

We want you to know that this behavior does not align with the values of our department and is not tolerated. We hold ourselves accountable to you, our community, and will continue to do so. Our goal is to serve you with integrity, pride, and the highest level of professionalism. Your trust in us is important, and we will work hard to maintain it.

Guillermo Mixer

DA: Greenfield Police Officer faces two felony charges, officer denies all charges

The Monterey County District Attorney's Office said that a Greenfield Police Officer was arrested and charged with felony assault and felony dissuading a witness.

According to the Monterey County Court Portal, a complaint was filed against Christian Tapia-Leon on June 10, and a warrant for his arrest was issued the same day. The DA's office said he was off duty at the time of the alleged incident, and the victim was a male.

Tapia-Leon allegedly walked into a home uninvited, went to the backyard of the house hosting a party, and that's where the assault occurred, said the DA's Office. The DA's office said Tapia-Leon did not know the victim.

In a statement given to KION by the Law Office of Steven J. Rease, that is representing Officer Tapia, they said:

"Mr. Tapia strongly denies the current charges against him by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office. He is not guilty of these charges. He and his attorney Mr. Steven Rease look forward to aggressively defending him in court and having his good name and reputation restored. As a 6-year veteran of the Greenfield Police Department, he takes his oath to uphold the law extremely seriously and would never act in a manner that would violate his oath."

The alleged incident occurred on May 1 at about 9 p.m. in the City of Gonzales, said the DA's office.

The Monterey County District Attorney's Office said an arraignment is scheduled for Tapia-Leone on August 11 at 1:30 p.m.

Greenfield Police released the following statement:

Dear Greenfield,

We wanted to make you aware of an incident involving a Greenfield Police Department Officer.

Officer Tapia, a 4-year veteran of the Greenfield Police Department, was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office. Friday, June 10th, an arrest warrant was issued for charges related to assault.

Officer Tapia surrendered himself at the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office to face the charges.

The allegations against Officer Tapia are deeply unsettling. However, we trust and have faith in the judicial system to conduct a thorough investigation, resulting in the appropriate outcome. In the meantime, we will continue to cooperate with the District Attorney’s Office as they proceed with their investigation. Additionally, we have launched our own internal administrative investigation into the matter, consistent with our department’s policies and procedures.

This is an extremely difficult time, not only for our police family, but also for the Greenfield community, and for the involved parties. Rest assured, we remain committed to providing the highest-level of service to you, and we will work tirelessly to continue to provide a sense of safety, security, and transparency to the city of Greenfield.

While we cannot discuss an on-going investigation, we want to address and allay any of your concerns. Feel free to email us at records@ci.greenfield.ca.us.

Respectfully, Acting Chief Guillermo Mixer

Acting Chief Guillermo Mixer