SAN DIEGO - Sources told Team 10 the sexual assault accusations against San Diego police Officer Chris Hays are worse than the acts that brought a conviction against former officer Anthony Arevalos.
One of those sources willing to openly talk about the case is attorney Dan Gilleon. He represented some of the women Arevalos assaulted.
"I don't know of any women who came forward and said they have had sex with Arevalos, but that's what I'm hearing on this one," Gilleon said. "This was Arevalos-squared."
Team 10 broke the news Thursday that four women had come forward to say they were abused by Hays.
When Team 10 asked SDPD Chief William Lansdowne if this case was like the Arevalos case, he answered, "It's not."
Lansdowne later elaborated the case involved pat downs, adding, "This is not skin-to-skin touching, these are improper searches."
Hays has not been charged, and the San Diego County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case.
Hays' father-in-law, Mark Jones, is an assistant police chief.
"There's a hint here of some sort of corruption, some level of nepotism and favoritism and pulling strings," Gilleon said. "If (Lansdowne) wasn't telling the whole truth yesterday and it's much more serious, then I don't know how he could stick around."
Team 10 took questions about the chief's future to San Diego mayoral candidates Kevin Faulconer and David Alvarez. The election is Tuesday.
"I'm not going to make any staffing decisions at this time. It's premature," said Faulconer.
"We're going to have conversations with the chief to make sure that my priorities as a mayor and my priorities fit in with what he's been doing and what's he's been focused on for years if he decides to stay on board," said Alvarez.
Police on Friday told media the chief stands by his comments about the case not being worse than the Arevalos case.
Meanwhile, an Arevalos victim who has not yet settled her civil suit with the city, talked exclusively to Team 10. She is only known to the public as "Jane Doe," and made a plea to San Diego's next mayor.
"I would hope that anyone elected to be the next mayor of San Diego would be on board with cleaning our city up," she said.
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