SANTA MARIA – A government claim filed on behalf of 17 year old "Jane Doe" alleges the City of Santa Maria and the Santa Maria Police Department knew Police Officer Albert Covarrubias Jr. was involved in an inappropriate relationship with the alleged victim as far back as New Year's Eve.
It also alleges the Police Department allowed Covarrubias to drive the 17 year old girl, who was a Police Explorer Scout, around in his patrol car until the time of his death.
The attorney for Jane Doe claims she resisted Covarrubias's alleged sexual advances and that police did nothing about it until the department decided to arrest Covarrubias on January 29th while he was on duty at a DUI checkpoint.
His best friend in the Police Department, Matthew Kline, shot and killed Covarrubias when police say he resisted arrest.
"The fact that the criminal defendant is no longer with us, doesn't change the culpability of the city", says Woodland Hills-based attorney Terry Goldberg who filed the government claim on behalf of Jane Doe.
The claim seeks damages for sexual harassment, sexual battery, false imprisonment, witness intimidation and rape during the month of January.
It also seeks psychological damages including loss of reputation since Jane Doe was the only female Police Explorer Scout at the time which Goldberg says subjected her to ridicule, contempt and hatred forcing her to leave school.
Goldberg declined to comment on where Jane Doe is living and how she is coping in the aftermath of the Covarrubias shooting.
"Anybody who has suffered the indignation of sexual molestation has severe and significant psychiatric trauma", Goldberg says, "many times it's diagnosed as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and requires months and sometimes years of psychotherapy."
The attorney says the fact that Albert Covarrubias Jr. is dead will not impact the government claim going forward.
He says other cases involving law enforcement officers were either settled or litigated with the offending officer locked up in prison and not able to participate.
Albert Covarrubias Sr. declined to comment on the government claim filed on behalf of Jane Doe.
