Sources tell Bee: Arrested deputy said she may have 'hallucinated' 2005 rape attempt.
By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Sep. 9, 2009 - 9:28 pm
Nearly four years ago, Sacramento County sheriff's Deputy Lisa Gargano called a fellow deputy to report a man had broken into her Carmichael home and attempted to rape her, according to sources. The call prompted a full-scale department response - involving more than a dozen patrol units, one of whom crashed on the way - and an exhaustive investigation.
Ultimately, the sources told The Bee, detectives found no evidence the crime had occurred. Gargano admitted she was under the influence of prescription drugs at the time of the call, the sources said, and could have hallucinated the entire episode.
Gargano, now 37 and still a sheriff's deputy, was arrested this week for driving under the influence of prescription drugs after she slammed her sports utility vehicle into a Natomas Starbucks, injuring an elderly woman and an employee. She was off duty at the time.
Gargano remains on paid administrative leave from her position as a patrol deputy in north Sacramento County. The Bee's efforts to reach her have been unsuccessful.
Law enforcement sources said earlier this week that Gargano had been using prescription drugs for years, following several on-duty injuries. At least once, they said, department officials required her to attend a drug rehabilitation program.
On Wednesday, three additional law enforcement sources told The Bee that Gargano's prescription drug use appeared to be at the root of the incident four years ago, when the deputy - off-duty at the time - reported she had been attacked. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity, citing medical and personnel privacy issues.
For more on this developing story, see tomorrow's Bee