A veteran San Diego police officer who took a plea deal was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years probation for assaulting his girlfriend.
Officer Timothy Romberger – an 11-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department – was arrested in January. Prosecutors said he pointed a gun at his girlfriend’s head and at one point asked her to tell him “a reason you deserve to live.”
Romberger won't start serving his sentence until Jan. 2. He was not taken into custody Tuesday because Judge Robert Amador is giving him time to find someone to take care of his 4-year-old son. The child's mother is currently in jail.
Prior to the incident, Romberger and his son lived with the victim and her son.
After his arrest, a judge ordered Romberger to have no contact with the victim and their children.
The victim appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday and asked the judge to allow her to see Romberger and to lift the no contact order. That request was denied.
At the time of his arrest, a spokesperson for the San Diego Police Department said Romberger’s “powers have been revoked” and he had been suspended from duty, with pay. The officer was assigned to the Eastern Division Patrol.
Romberger initially pleaded not guilty to two felony charges including assault and domestic violence. However, prosecutors confirm Romberger entered a guilty plea on just the first count of assault in July.
NBC 7 spoke with a former neighbor of the officer who said San Diego County sheriff's deputies were outside the officer's Santee home multiple times due to the disturbances.
