Former SLO County narcotics officer arrested for perjury

July 27, 2015

The California Attorney General’s Office filed a felony charge of  on July 17 against a former San Luis Obispo County District Attorney investigator who allegedly lied in an affidavit to a judge while on loan to the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force.

The felony complaint says that A.J. Santana, “while under oath, did willfully and unlawfully state as true a material matter which he knew to be false,” the criminal complaint says. “Conviction of this offense will require the defendant to provide DNA samples and print impressions pursuant to Penal Code section 296 and 296.1.”

On Aug. 27, 2014, Santana filed an affidavit with San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Rita Federman seeking a warrant to search a home and car for evidence of drug dealing. Santana was successful in his request to have the affidavit sealed by the court in order to protect an ongoing investigation, according to the warrant.

After it was discovered Santana allegedly lied to a judge, the district attorney’s office made a motion to drop all charges against the 42-year-old suspect because of lack of evidence.

As of Feb. 14, Santana is no longer employed by the county prosecutor.

Santana is the second member of the sheriff’s narcotics task force to leave his employment while under investigation for alleged illegal acts.

In 2013, a judge sentenced former San Luis Obispo police officer Cory Pierce to 18 months in federal prison. While working as a member of the San Luis Obispo County Narcotics Task Force, Pierce stole drugs from the sheriff’s department evidence locker and manipulated a probationer into selling drugs for him.