The Fontana Unified School District is investigating a school police detective who is up for a promotion despite an alleged history of violent and aberrant behavior, including punching or threatening students, slashing bicycle tires and carrying brass knuckles. School district officials declined to comment further.
On Friday, lawyers for the district instructed employees not to discuss the investigation. But in each case, nothing ever came of the complaints, which were either ignored or determined to be unfounded or not sustained due to insufficient evidence. Reached by telephone, Barnett declined to comment for this story. Lydia Salazar Wibert did not respond to telephone calls to her office seeking comment.
Some officers employed by the department who have spoken out asked to not be named out of fear of retaliation. The Fontana School Police department has 13 sworn personnel, including police officers and ranking staff, Salerno said. The district has 44 schools.
The student raised his hands over his head, and while Johnson was doing a pat-down search, Wibert punched him in the stomach, Hauptmann said. It was agitating the kid more. So Wibert just sucker punched the kid in the stomach. While an internal affairs investigation was initiated, Wibert was not disciplined or placed on leave during the investigation, said Hauptmann, adding that both she and Johnson talked to the investigating officers and gave the same account of what occurred.
Delia Fant, who was principal of Summit High School at the time, said she remembered the incident well. She said she was never contacted by officers who conducted the investigation. Police Chief Lee Powell Jr. I know talent when I see it.
