Deputy denies misconduct related to arrest of man accused of Laguna Niguel bar killing

An Orange County sheriff’s deputy on Tuesday denied telling a drug-addled informant to shoot up with heroin a man accused of stabbing to death a bar patron in Laguna Niguel shortly before officers took the suspect into custody.

During testimony at a hearing on a defense request to dismiss murder charges against Craig Matthew Tanber, Deputy Victor Valdez also denied having a sexual relationship with the same informant and disputed ever returning heroin to her that had been taken by other officers

Tanber, an admitted member at one-time of a white supremacist gang, was arrested four years ago for allegedly killing Shayan Mazroei during a confrontation at Patsy’s Irish pub. But court proceedings during the past week or so have focused not on the killing itself, but on the alleged actions of Valdez, who was among those who helped track Tanber down and take him into custody at a Garden Grove motel.

While trying to find Tanber, Valdez and his fellow members of a sheriff’s gang enforcement team enlisted Adrien Vasquez, then an active confidential informant for Valdez who is also the mother of Tanber’s son.

Tanber’s attorney, Alisha Montoro, alleges that the deputy gave Vasquez $300 to buy heroin, was aware she drove to an area known for drug sales, then sent her into a hotel room alone with Tanber for several hours. Tanber, in recorded jail calls, reportedly alleged that Vasquez shot him up twice with heroin, and said he awoke to find a SWAT team inside his hotel room.

Vasquez has testified that while she was working as an informant Valdez talked her into sending him nude photos of herself, and ordered her to refer to him as “daddy.” She also testified that when Fullerton police officers arrested her for drug possession, Valdez picked her up and gave her back the heroin that had been taken from her.

A judge ordered the courtroom cleared of media and members of the public prior to Vasquez testifying on Friday and Monday, before she was asked about the allegations of sexual contact with the deputy or her role in the Tanber operation.

Valdez initially refused to answer questions about the Tanber operation, citing his rights against self-incrimination. He agreed to take the stand after the DA’s office agreed to give him “use immunity,” which means prosecutors cannot use any of his testimony against him.

During the deputy’s testimony, he acknowledged that Vasquez sent him nude photographs, as well as explicit text messages outlining what he described as “fantasy” sexual encounters between the two of them. Asked if he sent Vasquez back sexual photos, or if he gave her heroin, Valdez answered “absolutely not.”

During the Tanber operation, Valdez said he gave money to Vasquez so that she would have a hotel room to stay in. He acknowledged that she messaged him that night about looking for heroin and syringes, but said the plan was not for her to go into the hotel room alone with Tanber.

“Did you tell Ms. Vasquez to inject Mr. Tanber with heroin?” Montero asked.

“No, absolutely not,” Valdez replied.

Valdez acknowledged deleting his texts with Vazquez the day of the Tanber arrest from his phone. He said a “convoluted” question from another judge about whether he had “urged, prompted or whatever” Valdez to inject Tanber with heroin had led him to answer that he could not recall, a statement that led to an internal affairs investigation and a 10-month administrative leave.

Valdez was disciplined for “inappropriate contacts” with Vasquez, and for recording conversations with prosecutors without their knowledge, according to courtroom testimony, and was suspended for 120 hours without pay. He has since moved from a gang unit to a patrol position in Mission Viejo.

Other deputies who worked with Valdez in looking for Tanber testified that their interactions with Vasquez were not directed by detectives investigating the bar killing or by prosecutors.

Judge Richard J. Oberholzer, who is tasked with deciding whether charges against Tanber should be dismissed, commented during Tuesday’s hearing that the allegations of sexual contact between the deputy and informant “hadn’t been proven” and that the allegations of Vasquez being ordered to shoot Tanber up had been “disproven.” The judge appeared to be referring to the testimony given by Vasquez behind closed doors.

Montoro also has alleged that a grand jury that indicted Tanber was improperly presented with statements he made to detectives immediately after his arrest, while apparently still under the influence of heroin. The DA’s office has since agreed not to use any statements from that interview during Tanber’s trial. And Oberholzer appeared unconvinced by the defense attorneys arguments.

“It seems you are grasping for other straws to prove there was outrageous government conduct,” the judge told Montoro.