Case against HPD sergeant to be retried
One of the four police officers charged with falsifying documents to get more overtime is scheduled to be re-tried in Circuit Court Sept. 19.
Initially, the charges against Sgt. Duke Zoller were dismissed in May when Circuit Judge Edward H. Kubo Jr. determined the case had taken too long to go to trial. Kubo, however, allowed prosecutors to re-file the case.
At his arraignment today Zoller’s attorney, Richard Wurdeman, entered a plea of not guilty and Zoller’s case was assigned to Kubo.
Kubo had also dismissed the charges against Sgt. Aaron Bernal and officers Christopher and Patrick Bugarin.
The four are accused of putting the names of the two sergeants on arrest reports to show that they were at DUI checkpoints when they actually weren’t so that they could increase the chances of gaining overtime later if defendants challenged the arrests in court.
Bernal and Zoller are additionally charged with theft and being accomplices to theft.
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Bernal has been granted a six-week continuance, until Aug. 22.
