SANTA ANA – A former Anaheim police officer was led out of a courtroom in handcuffs after he was sentenced to four years in prison in a sex assault case involving illegal immigrants.
Bradley Stewart Wagner, 62, of Perris, pleaded guilty in May to sexually assaulting a Spanish-speaking immigrant he pulled over in November 2005. Wagner told her to perform oral sex on him or she would be deported, prosecutors said.
He also sexually assaulted another female immigrant, and repeatedly pulled over another female immigrant to ask her personal questions, they said.
Wagner’s deal for pleading guilty included a four-year prison sentence – significantly less than the nine years he faced if convicted after a trial.
Wagner sought to get out of his plea, and had his new lawyer, Robert Corrado, file a motion to withdraw it in July. He claimed he was incapable of understanding his plea because he took pain medication that May 17.
A hearing was held on the motion earlier this month, and included testimony from Wagner’s former attorneys, Jennifer L. Keller and Kay Rackauckas. Both attorneys testified that Wagner never informed them he was on the drugs, or that he felt too drugged up to plead guilty.
On Thursday, Orange County Superior Court Judge Walter Schwarm rejected Wagner’s motion. Schwarm, who was the judge who accepted Wagner’s guilty plea in May, cited both attorneys’ testimony, and also said Wagner did not appear to him to be under the influence of medication.
Two of Wagner’s victims attended the sentencing – including the woman he first sexually assaulted in November 2005.
The woman cried and trembled as she spoke, and a Spanish interpreter relayed her words to the judge.
“I was very affected by what happened to me. It was something very horrible,” she said. “What I’d like is for justice to be done … If it was up to me, I would send him to prison for the rest of his life.”
Contact the writer: 714-834-3773 or rsrisavasdi@ocregister.com
