Assault Witnesses Call Sheriff's Reports Inaccurate

By Merylee Robbins

Published on August 18, 2005

Trisha Martins and Deena Lucero witnessed the altercation between sheriff's deputies, Brian Ferreira and Johnny Mathis, and concertgoers, Marcus Aue and Jason Haugen, that occurred on January 22, 2004 at the Merced County Fair. According to official reports, statements from the witnesses say that Aue initiated the conflict with Deputy Ferreira, however Lucero and Martins claim that in reality, their actual statements indicated that Ferreira picked the fight with Aue. The two women allege that their statements have been changed to protect the deputies and implicate Aue and Haugen as the wrongdoers. Deputies Ferreira and Mathis have yet to be deposed.

These conflicting statements have been brought to light during deposition hearings for Aue's lawsuit against the Sheriff's deputies and the county, which also names Jason Haugen as co-plaintiff. On the night of the incident, Aue sustained multiple injuries from blows inflicted by both deputies that have rendered him unable to work for the past year. The worst of the injuries is a head injury that occasionally induces seizures. Aue is also currently experiencing difficulty walking. Both plaintiffs are hopeful that the truth about the will be uncovered during the trial which is set to take place in March.

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