A series of incidents early this month has resulted in a sheriff’s lieutenant electing to take what appears to be premature retirement.
The precise reason why lieutenant Linzy Savage has decided to make his exodus from the department has not been given, though sources say it is in some fashion related to the still unfolding events that occurred at the Victorville sheriff’s station on May 8.
On that day, in response to a request from KNBC News in Los Angeles, a sheriff’s officer sent to the television station a video taken in the detective squad room in the Victorville station. That video was taken on a smart phone by a member of the department and was intended to provide KNBC with information relating to a missing person case.
Upon receiving the video, news station personnel, in listening to the audio on the video, overheard a conversation among what is believed to be three detectives working out of the station. Inadvertently, the phone’s owner had recorded portions of an ongoing exchange between the detectives in which one could be heard talking about how he had, by his own description, “stomped” on a suspect’s head and used a baton to beat the suspect. This elicited laughs from the others involved in the conversation.
KNBC made a re-recording of the video and subsequently contacted the sheriff’s department to inform officials there of what could be extracted from video’s audio. It is further reported that a copy of the video and its accompanying audio track is in the possession of the FBI.
Word now comes that lieutenant Savage, who was in the command loop at the Victorville Station, has tendered his retirement from the department, effective as of tomorrow, May 28. A report was that an effort to keep Savage from leaving was made, including offering him a promotion to captain to replace a captain, Sam Lucia, who is set to retire soon. Savage’s replacement of Lucia was said to have sheriff John McMahon’s support. Nevertheless, Savage declined that offer.
One report is that Savage had knowledge of the beating referenced in the conversation on the video now in KNBC’s possession and he does not want to be caught between the expectations of the department to keep a lid on the incident and the FBI’s inquiry. Knowingly lying to an FBI agent is a federal crime.
The department has given no official response to the report but the retirement board agenda for June 1 shows Savage is retiring. Savage could not be reached for comment.