Former Fresno cop facing four years in jail

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Alfred Campos didn't talk as he left court Monday after his attorney entered a plea of not guilty to charges of possessing a stolen vehicle and perjury.

Attorney Mario Disalvo said, "My client is innocent until they prove him guilty. What about him being a police officer for 16 years in the city of Fresno, keeping us safe and everything. Nobody says anything nice about him."

Campos was a veteran Fresno police officer until he was fired as a result of this incident. During the time he patrolled the streets, his brother, Jose Guzman was murdered and his body was found torched in an SUV. Investigators believe Guzman was a drug dealer killed by a Mexican cartel.

Campos' other brother, Francisco Marin, also took a plea deal on drug charges, and after serving time, is now free. The brothers all lived together in Central Fresno. When the home was searched last January, investigators found $70,000 in cash. They also found DMV paperwork signed by Campos on the truck investigators believe he knew was stolen.

Legal Analyst, Mark Coleman, said, "I think that a judge or a jury is going to have to hold him to a higher standard. They are going to say that hey, an average person might not have known, but you should have."

Detectives say they have proof Campos also used his position as a police officer to run the fake vin number two times through the statewide law enforcement database. On one of the occasions, a dispatcher told him "There is no record on file meaning there is no record of the vehicle." Despite this, and the potential four year local jail sentence, Coleman says being a police officer and the training he received as part of his job could be the biggest factor working against him.

Coleman explained, "The fact that this guy has no prior convictions, the fact that he has support in the community, the fact that he has been a police officer, can actually work against him with regards to the amount of time he's looking at because people trust him."

Since Campos does not have any criminal past, probation is also an option. He is out of jail on bond and set to return to court later this month.