Inglewood Police Detective John Baca has been charged with selling narcotics to an informant working with the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Baca is a 21 year employee of IPD, who spent a good part of his career in the narcotics unit.
The indictment charges Baca with allegedly delivering cocaine to a witness cooperating with the FBI on April 29; then selling one kilogram of cocaine to the same witness on May 4 for $22,000 in cash.
The indictment details he would be required to forfeit any real and/or personal property, connected with the case.
Baca served as an executive member of one of IPD’s police union.
Baca’s trial is currently set for Dec. 14. He was previously arrested and convicted for assault and battery in 1996, before he became a police officer, for which he was sentenced to one year of probation.
Sources close to the investigation shared with 2UrbanGirls that search warrants were served to IPD and Baca’s home.
Cerise Castle, with KnockLA, alleges a former campaign aide to Butts shared with her the FBI raided Inglewood PD and its narcotics offices Oct. 22, and Butts’ cellphone was allegedly confiscated along with other laptops and phones.
Records show the “James Butts for Mayor 2014” campaign paid Baca $2,000 out of his campaign account..
“I don’t believe other officers are involved as the informant was wearing an FBI wire for over a year,” said the source who requested anonymity.
Baca’s co-conspirator, Gerardo Ekonomo, was a documented informant with IPD, dating back to 2016.
“However,” wrote FBI Special Agent Robert Logan in the affidavit, “based on the IPD informant status and activity log, Ekonomo conducted no documented operations after he was signed up as an informant.”
“Baca proceeded to answer some questions that were posed to him, while exercising his right not to answer other questions,” Logan wrote in the affidavit. Baca denied ever selling any drugs. Ekonomo, too, has denied charges made against him.
Inglewood Police Department has not made any public comments on the matter.
View the complaint here.
20 Comments
Oh my goodness. This is awful.
Mayor Butts is like a little kid…go take a nap!
Again John Baca has NEVER received a payment from James Butts’ campaign account. I am formally demanding retraction, removal and a publicly posted apology. Your false inference of a financial connection that does not exist combined with our compilation of your past use of this tactic establishes an actionable pattern of libel hiding as questions from “Anonymous sources.”
James Butts
“false inference”? NEVER? Ok Jimmy.
My attorneys have a compilation of your practice of asking libelous questions and then attributing the underlying predicate source of information to “anonymous sources”. In this case we have a screenshot of your Eyewitness page attributing the comment to a specific person. That person has been contacted and denies being your source. He is willing to sign an affidavit. Again, issue a RETRACTION and an apology as the LAW requires. If not I will file suit. Be advised; there will be a legal response every time you do this in the future. You have developed a history with this practice that implies malice. Please post both my responses and request for retraction.
James T. Butts
Mayor
Cerise Castle, with KnockLA sourced Jason Major. You may wanna ask him how she got his name.
https://knock-la.com/john-baca-inglewood-police-officer-arrested-narcotics-fbi/
that is a lie. No cell phone of the Mayor’s was confiscated. No campaign aide of mine would have been in a position to know anything about such a sensitive investigation. Finally, no officer, let alone John Baca has received monies from my campaign fund. I demand a retraction.
My question would be is was the Narcotics unit disbanded and if so how would anybody know that?
Additionally of all people how does a random name like Jason Major appears out the blue.
Finally your threat of legal actions is laughable @best. 2urbangirls statements are protected by the First amendment and because she had reasonable belief that the statement made or referenced being made by Jason Major was true and credible arguing livel and or defamation would be impossible to establish in a court of law.
Additionally you of all people don’t want to speak about malice .
Marvin, Indeed you speak a bigger than life truth!
Libelous is something that causes harm to someone’s reputation or exposes some person to public hatred, contempt, or ridicule.
For Butts to claim that 2urban girls referring to another report is actionable is just another of his attempts to distract people, and place focus on another.
As for who is the best example of attempting to cause injury to reputation, pubic hatred, or ridicule—
*. This is the man who accused a former council member of being a member of the KKK when she would not vote in lockstep with his desires.
* This is the man who routinely calls those who dare ask questions of council staff reports derogatory names including obstructionist, naysayers, haters,
* This is the man who began insulting his former “secretary” and accusing her of lying and misrepresentation when she decided to end their relationship
*This is the man who falsely insinuated a community member was suing the city when it was James Butts and Team who falsely declared council meetings were copyright protected.
That James Butts often behaves in a manner many many yes many consider less than respectable is not the fault of the observer rather that of the man in his mirror.
As for having the attorneys on call it would be wise NOT to charge the resident taxpayers that bill which would add further to public hatred
WE ARE TIRED OF PICKING UP ATTORNEY BILLS, and PUBLIC IMAGE CONSULTANTS for the man who needs so much attention .
The Narcotics Unit was not disbanded. Another lie. Further action will follow. The First Amendment gives no protection against malicious, calculated libel. How would someone know about something that did not happen. The specific criminal allegations confronting John Baca have no connection with the City of Inglewood, geographically or organizationally. The Chief of Police of course is conducting his own review. He will take the steps necessary to ensure organizational integrity.
How was KnockLA not only able to print these reports but also attribute them to someone close to you by alleging they are your former campaign [aide] volunteer? Sounds like your issue is with their source and not necessarily their journalist…
Cerise Castle, not KnockLA is submitter of the article. While they will have accountability for publishing, she (the journalist as you call her) will definitely come under scrutiny for lying about Jason Major’s statements. Everyone involved will be held accountable. Once again, Jason Major denies making those statements; Jason Major is in no position to possess any of the information attributed to him. I have issue with you and everyone involved. As I said, I have let you go for years with this veiled hiding behind questions, supposed anonymous residents statements, the use of the word alleged or allegedly or “sources in City Hall say that….” You went too far with this one. To try to maliciously and falsely connect me with a narcotics investigation was one step too far.
Mayor Butts,
You have an issue with everyone involved?
Well isn’t that rich?
How many people have you maligned,bullied or viciously terrorized?
Wasn’t it you, whom told Dianne Sombrano to choke herself and then feigned amnesia,when as a credible paper as you like to claim, Daily Breeze called you out on it.
Wasn’t your brother a ‘beneficiary of your reign as Mayor by receiving a job with a trash contractor whom is doing business with the City and the matter was investigated by the FBI?
Aren’t you the same person who led a malicious,evil charge to strip the City treasurer of her duties and pay,citing her misrepentation of the City finances only to declare a fiscal emergency,less than 6 months later.
Wasn’t it you that was driving around in an unmarked vehicle,outfitted with police lights assigned to the Inglewood Police Dept?
Let’s not talk about my dealings with you.
I say all the above to say this,your behavior and prior actions proceeds you and this is the reason why the stench of John Baca is sticking to you.
This isn’t about 2urbangirls or hell knockla for that fact .
It’s the notion that you have operated so recklessly and unlawfully for so long that it isn’t hard for even the most reasonable person not to consider that you may had some involvement in it.
Once again there is a higher threshold of liability when proving malicious intent or libel as it pertains to a journalist and your verified and well known documented behavior and prior acts are sufficiently supported by 2urbangirls by Public documents and in a lot of cases your own words that come out your own mouth.
By your own words you admitted Cherise Castle with knockla wrote the original quote that was sourced to someone in your inner circle. Knockla hasn’t rescinded that quote,only removing the name it was sourced to.
Thank you James Butts for CLEARLY stating you have issues with anyone who asks questions !
Any REAL investigation should include collecting ALL ! ! YES EVEN The Mayor’s cell phone to search for the purpose of either declaring no involvement or declaring definite involvement in illegal drug sales.
Not Surprisingly this tells us so much about standard or lack of standard of investigation practices-perhaps this is why there are so few prosecutions for the multiple homicides in our community ~Or perhaps is shows us a predetermined pattern of acting as jury and judge before evidence is collected and evaluated.
NO ONE , no not even JAMES BUTTS, should be considered above the law. If in fact there is no reason fear a connection to wrong doing -the cell phone owner should be confident that after scrutiny he/she would be ruled out of involvement if in fact that is the case.
Surely there isn’t a belief that the FBI investigation will be compromised is there?
Here are some more simple but also hard unbiased questions..
re drugs in Inglewood…
Since anyone driving down either Manchester or Arbor Vitae could SEE IN PLAIN SIGHT marijuana store fronts while CITY ORDINANCES DECLARED THEM ILLEGALLY OPERATING. .. How is it Mr squeaky clean Couldn’t figure out how to close them for years….?
Hmmmmm how was it the council shut down a liquor store for selling legal cigarettes to a minor but couldn’t figure out how to close an illegally operating pot shop ???
Could it be that without advanced warning there was not time to have questionable cell phone items deleted as was done with the city council meeting records when “GO CHOKE YOURSELF” DIANE was capture on tape.??
We shall not forget James Butts involvement in destroying evidence of actions in the choice to shred Excessive use of Force Records just before a state became effective, or the intentional choice to DESTROY the stadium petition used to justify DENYING residents a vote…..
Threatening to silence all who question does not build credibility …..in reality it makes us wonder what else you are hiding .
Interestingly James Butts does not seem to have threatened the democratic underground website which carried the same story with litigation…..
Sad isn’t we tax payers pay dearly to have engineered publicity rather than simply get great publicity because residents are treated with respect honor and our community homes are valued not in flip ability but for stability, and our diversity is treasured rather having developers creating a haven only for higher end rental units.
Okay let us think about this … a 21 year Inglewood police officer is charged with arranging to provide 2 lbs of street drugs to a dealer who he has used as an “informant” for 5 (that is five)years, has been on the Inglewood drug task force, has interacted with community members in uniform and undercover using tax payer vehicles and has been paid for in theory protecting and serving the residents of Inglewood.
………And then when he is arrested and the FBI utilizing search warrants confiscates files, records, computers and an assortment of cell phones……..THE ONLY FOCUS OF THE MAYOR is on an article that suggests his phone was among many collected !!!!!!!!
WOW DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THAT RESPONSE??
Where is the host of other questions most innocent mayors and uncorrupt officers would ask :
How is it this was possible under the command of the highest paid police Chief in Southern California.?
An why is he so silent on this?
Where / when were the check and balances in having drug officers interacting with informants?
How long has this been going on?
Are there any arrests and convictions based on the false statements made by John Baca?
Are any other Inglewood Officers selling either small or large quantities of drugs.
Does this mayor’s response just seem “not quite” what we should expect of a life long career law enforcement officer?
Why are the journalist or the publisher words the focus of concern?… how about the Chief of Police, Council members and City Manager focus on providing all the access the FBI desires to people, records, and devises so that perhaps residents have confidence that the badged on the streets have some measure of integrity?
Given James BUTTS admission he has an issue with all who ask questions-is there any wonder people prefer to remain nameless?
Where do I even begin?
The fact that you are attempting to separate Inglewood Police Dept and the authority held and the abuse of power that comes along with being a sworn member of the Inglewood Police Department is laughable and contradicts the sworn affidavit submitted in support of the indictment.
The mere fact Baca submitted an application for his co-conspirator to work as an confidential informant with no serious criminal history ot any verifiable proof or history that he could provide credible information on illicit drug activity and a supervisor actually signed off on.it should raise red flags.
Based on the notion that as far as we know from the indictment this verifiable activity was being conducted in September 2020 and it’s safe to say during the co-conspirator duration as an informant for IPD for at least 5 years.
Baca clearly used this rouse of listing his co – conspirator as an informant to give him safe passage to deal drugs .
So this notion that Baca didn’t use his powerr and or authority as an IPD Police officer isn’t supported by the facts in the indictment.
As for your predictable game of deflection, 2
Urban girls only cited knock LA who clearly feels confident in their position and hasn’t rescinded their statement and sourced it to someone in your inner circle.
It’s hard for me to believe that Knock LA just flagrantly and with malicious intent added that tidbit just to make the story sexy as you say..
According to the indictment this is an ongoing investigation and the fact that you’re making definitive statements without allowing your Chief to finish his own independent review is I’ll advised.
How can you come to that conclusion that no other officers were involved when the Chief hasn’t concluded his own investigation?
The simple fact that a supervisor signed off for Baca request to have his co-conspirator serve as an informant in drug trafficking cases without ever serving as an informant before is fishy at best.
I beg to differ. The alarm to the narcotics office was triggered on 5 4 2021 at 230 am only hours before Baca was recorded delivering the kilo in question. I’d have published the recording from dispatch sooner if I knew Butts was denying responsibility. Stay tuned.
Forgive the misspelling and all the mistakes but your narcissism is exhausting and your penchant to attack black women is telling and troublesome.
My
Wow not the response the Public relations consultants would write is it?
Perhaps the wiser Mayoral response would be at Public Statement directly from the Chief of Police who we pay close to a half mil a year to …
Something with a tone that says
***********************
The Inglewood Police Department, City Council and Mayor Butts regret that such a significant breach of public trust as currently alleged by one of our seasoned officers has been brought to our attention.
It is our intent to fully cooperate with any and all future investigations to assure residents and guests that this is an isolated incident.
Unfortunately because this incident is an on going investigation we can make no further comments at this time.
Once all the facts are revealed we are confident trust in our officers will be restored.
***********************
But hey we have rarely seen or heard from “the Chief” since Butts came to power.
Shouldn’t the former Chief of Police Butts know that it is wiser to seek all possible evidence rather than jump to accuse only one and leave potential evidence uncollected.
Most residents have a truck load of questions not answered in the 39 page FBI report included for all to read in the 2urban girl article. Here are but few.
Did residents pay for both cars used by Baca which had no plates? Were they Drug task force vehicles?
Was Baca ”on Duty” when he place/received calls and met with his “buyer”?
And ….oh duh, Where did he get the Drugs?
James I love the disclosure at the beginning of your comment. “this is a lie.”
I noticed you include that admission in many of your dishonest comments. You should include it in all of your comments because some folks probably don’t realize. Your buddy, TZ