A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy pleaded not guilty Friday to a misdemeanor assault and battery charge after she allegedly injured a bartender in Lakewood last year.
Prosecutors say Monica Vargas, 34, was at a Lakewood bar Nov. 17 when she was asked to leave by the bartender, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.
Vargas allegedly refused, then grabbed the bartender by the hair, pulled her onto the bar and punched the victim in the face, according to the district attorney’s office.
She is scheduled to return to court Jan. 15 for a pretrial hearing at the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s Bellflower branch.
If convicted as charged, Vargas faces a possible maximum sentence of a year in county jail. The case is being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Internal Investigations Division.
Contact Greg Yee at 562-499-1476
