San Francisco Firefighter Pleads No Contest To Battery At Restaurant
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – A San Francisco firefighter accused of slapping a woman and punching another man at a restaurant in Daly City this February has been sentenced to a year of probation, according to prosecutors.
Battalion Chief Samuel Romero and the female victim, who is also an employee of the San Francisco Fire Department, were at Original Joe's of Westlake on Feb. 20 when the male victim apparently made a comment about the couple's age difference.
Romero initially pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea to no contest to a battery charge Monday, prosecutors said. His sentence included two days of jail time, which has already been served, $235 in fines and a court order prohibiting him from harassing the female victim.
He was originally charged with domestic violence, but the victim did not cooperate with the investigation.
"The victim didn't want to see it go forward, as is so often the case," Wagstaffe said.
Defense attorney Julia Jayne said that prosecutors' claims of domestic violence are not supported by the facts of the case.
"He entered a plea to simple battery, not involving domestic violence," Jayne said.
"She was not his girlfriend, and that's why there was no domestic violence plea," Jayne said. "They're firefighters and friends but not in any sort of romantic relationship."
Romero was out on bail during his court appearance Monday.
At the time of his arraignment in March, he was still on active duty with the San Francisco Fire Department, according to fire spokesman Jonathan Baxter. Baxter did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case Tuesday.
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