Pubdate: Fri, 15 Jul 2016 Source: Orange County Register, The (CA) Copyright: 2016 The Orange County Register Contact: http://www.ocregister.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/321 Author: Alma Fausto 3 OFFICERS SEEN ON VIDEO IN RAID OF POT SHOP NO LONGER ON FORCE SANTA ANA - Three Santa Ana Police Department officers caught on video eating snacks during a raid on a marijuana dispensary last year, with two of them making fun of a disabled woman, are no longer working for the agency. Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, the department's spokesman, confirmed Thursday that Brandon Matthew Sontag, Nicole Lynn Quijas and Jorge Arroyo were no longer officers in the city. Sontag's and Quijas' last day was May 6, and Arroyo's was April 20, Bertagna said. He declined to say if they were fired or left the department on their own. "I cannot comment on personnel matters," Bertagna said. A surveillance video, released by the dispensary's lawyer last year, shows the officers during a May 2015 raid of Sky High Holistic marijuana dispensary. The city had accused the dispensary of selling marijuana without a permit. The video, which made national headlines, showed officers serving a search warrant at Sky High. They ordered customers and employees to the ground, and two made demeaning remarks about Sky High volunteer Marla James, an amputee in a wheelchair seen in the video. "Did you punch that one-legged old benita?" a male officer asks a female officer, apparently referring to James. "I was about to kick her in her (expletive) nub," a female officer replies. The officers disabled surveillance cameras, except a hidden one that captured the incident. When the footage surfaced, some thought the officers were eating marijuana edibles taken from the shop, but prosecutors later said there was no evidence that the snacks contained any drugs. In the aftermath, police Chief Carlos Rojas announced that three officers involved in the raid were placed on administrative leave while the department investigated whether their actions violated policy. In March, the District Attorney's Office filed charges of petty theft against the three. Sontag also was accused of vandalism in breaking some of the surveillance cameras. All three officers were placed on paid leave. Bertagna previously said their status with the department would be determined after an administrative appeals process and formal review. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom