DA Summer Stephan files criminal charges against La Mesa Police Officer for filing false report

LA MESA (KUSI) – A former La Mesa police officer at the center of a controversial arrest of a young Black man near the Grossmont trolley station is facing a felony count of filing a false report, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

Matthew Dages, 30, is charged in connection with the May 28 arrest of 23-year-old Amaurie Johnson.

In conjunction with the Memorial Day in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Johnson’s arrest, which was captured on video and circulated over social media, sparked condemnation and a protest in La Mesa that devolved into violence, looting and arson fires after dark.

Dages is accused of  “falsifying the reason for Johnson’s detention as well as his actions” and faces up to three years in state prison if convicted. He’s slated to be arraigned March 9 at the East County Regional Center.

Shortly after the arrest, then-La Mesa Police Department Chief Walt Vasquez said Johnson was initially contacted for smoking in public, then later arrested on suspicion of assault on an officer, and resisting, delaying and obstructing an officer.

He was released on a misdemeanor citation.

The police department announced in early June that it would not be seeking charges against Johnson.

Dages was fired by the department in August, and the firing was upheld last month by the city’s Personnel Appeals Board.

Johnson filed a federal lawsuit this summer against Dages and the city of La Mesa. According to his court papers, Johnson tried to walk away from the officer, but was pushed, then had his arm “violently grabbed,” his body “forcefully jerked,” was “aggressively pushed” into a seated position, and then was placed in an arm-bar by Dages.

District Attorney Summer Stephan said, “When someone in a position of trust such as a police officer commits a crime, it causes tremendous harm and shakes the community’s confidence in those who are sworn to protect them.”

“Everyone is accountable under the law and as we’ve done previously, we will file criminal charges when they are supported by facts and evidence,” he said. “My office’s Special Operations division of specialized prosecutors and investigators is dedicated to the principles of conducting fair, thorough and independent reviews of public corruption and police misconduct cases with the goal of enhancing public trust and pursuing justice.”

The complete press release from Summer Stephan’s office detailing the situation is below:

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced today that a criminal charge has been filed against a La Mesa Police Officer in connection with an arrest of Amaurie Johnson, 23, near the Grossmont trolley station in La Mesa. The criminal complaint alleges that on May 28, 2020, Officer Matthew Dages, 30, filed a police report that contained false information. Dages is accused of falsifying the reason for Johnson’s detention as well as his actions.

Dages is charged with one felony count of filing a false report pursuant to Penal Code section 118.1. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison.

DA Stephan released the following statement:

“When someone in a position of trust such as a police officer commits a crime, it causes tremendous harm and shakes the community’s confidence in those who are sworn to protect them. Everyone is accountable under the law and as we’ve done previously, we will file criminal charges when they are supported by facts and evidence. My office’s Special Operations division of specialized prosecutors and investigators is dedicated to the principles of conducting fair, thorough and independent reviews of public corruption and police misconduct cases with the goal of enhancing public trust and pursuing justice.”

Dages is expected to be arraigned on March 9 at 1:30 p.m. The hearing will be held remotely due to COVID-19 precautions in East County. He had been employed as a La Mesa police officer since 2018, but was terminated due to this incident. The termination was recently upheld by the City of La Mesa Personnel Appeals Board after a hearing.