A trial date has been set for the San Diego County sheriff's deputy accused of sexually assaulting women while on duty.
“Obviously I wouldn’t be fighting this if I was guilty of any of these charges,” Richard Fischer said outside of a San Diego courtroom Thursday.
Jury selection in the criminal case will begin February 25, 2019, more than a year after criminal charges were announced.
Fischer and his defense attorney Manny Medrano spoke with the media following a hearing on charges of assault and battery by an officer, oral copulation by force and burglary. Five felony counts involved three victims first reported by NBC 7 in August.
Currently, there are two criminal cases involving 16 women who have alleged interactions with the sheriff's deputy where he inappropriately touched them while he was in uniform.
Multiple civil complaints have been filed against San Diego County and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
In the first criminal case, there were 15 criminal counts involving 13 women.
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The women accuse Fischer of hugging or kissing them without consent, groping their bodies and even forcing them to perform oral copulation.
Several of the women have testified that came into contact with Fischer because they were victims of a crime and had called the sheriff's department for help.
Fischer is accused of committing the crimes while in uniform and on the job with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
"The only way to clear my name, the only way to get the truth out is through a jury trial," Fischer said.
According to criminal complaints, the first incident occurred on July 20, 2015.
Fischer was under investigation in November 2017 with formal charges announced in February 2018.
Fischer has been ordered to stand trial on all charges. He is out on $750,000 bail and has been ordered by the judge to wear an electronic monitoring device.
To see a full timeline of the criminal case against Fischer, click here.
