A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony count of abuse involving his 5-year-old son.
Jim Devoe, 28, is accused of slapping and punching his son in the face and then lying to the boy’s mother about what caused the injuries, according to a statement released last month by the District Attorney’s Office.
Medical professionals who examined the boy documented extensive injuries, including facial swelling and bruising, an eye hemorrhage and red marks on his head and arms, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Devoe was served last month with a criminal protective order that bars him from having any contact with the boy, the District Attorney’s Office said.
The deputy was arrested May 1 by detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lancaster station and released later that evening on $100,000 bond, jail records show.
The Los Angeles Times reported last month that Devoe, who worked as a bailiff at the courthouse in Lancaster, has been on administrative leave for several months and cited two law enforcement sources who said he was placed on leave after several allegations of misconduct.
Devoe remains free on bond and is due back at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse July 7. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial.
