A San Diego County sheriff's deputy accused of sexually assaulting more than a dozen women while on duty will be tried on five new charges, including one charge of oral copulation by force, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Deputy Richard Fischer pleaded not guilty on August 20 to three charges of assault and battery by an officer, one charge of oral copulation by force and one charge of burglary. All five are felony counts.
During a three-day preliminary hearing for Fischer, three women described interactions with the sheriff's deputy where he inappropriately touched them while he was in uniform.
Fischer's attorney Manny Medrano said Wednesday the accusations were nothing more than a money grab.
"An overarching theme that pervades every aspect of this preliminary hearing and these three alleged victims is that the extreme and powerful motivation by these alleged victims to try to win as much money as they can from the county of San Diego," Medrano said.
A judge ruled Wednesday there was enough evidence presented during the testimonies to hold Fischer over for trial. He had already been ordered to stand trial on another 15 counts involving 13 other women.
On Monday, the first woman took the stand on one of the most egregious charges against the deputy.
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Tatjana T., 51, described a time in late March 2017 or early April 2017 when she saw a light flash through her window and heard Deputy Fischer's voice.
She thought something was wrong so she opened the garage and he walked into her apartment, Tatjana T. said.
Fighting back tears, she described Deputy Fischer kissing and groping her and then forcing her to perform oral sex on him.
On Tuesday, a woman who said she was 24 years old when she encountered Fischer, testified the deputy began touching her inappropriately and breathing heavily on her while she was in his patrol car.
"[He] asked me if I got a birthday kiss. I said 'what?' And asked me if I wanted a birthday kiss," she said.
Next, a third woman with allegations of sexual misconduct by the deputy took the stand.
Deputy Fischer has denied all allegations against him, including the one presented by Tatjana T. in court on Monday.
To see a full timeline of the criminal case against Fischer, click here.
