FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECRM THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2003(202) 514-2008 WWW.USDOJ.GOV http://WWW.USDOJ.GOVTDD (202) 514-1888 TWO FORMER EL PASO, TEXAS POLICE OFFICERS PLEAD GUILTY TO POLICE MISCONDUCT WASHINGTON, D.C.- Two former deputies of the El Paso County Sheriff's office pleaded guilty to police misconduct, the Justice Department announced today. The plea agreement was filed in federal District Court in San Antonio, Texas today along with a criminal information. The defendants, Michael Duran and Peter Calzada, pleaded guilty to one count of willfully depriving an individual of their civil rights. The plea agreement states that in January of 1998, the defendants sexually assaulted a female victim. The victim was stranded on a county road with a flat tire at the time of the assault. The plea agreement states the defendants placed her in their patrol car and threatened her with arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol if she did not comply with their demands. The plea agreement further states that the defendants drove the victim to a secluded area, threatened her by telling her the state would sever custody of her children and then sexually assaulted her. "This type of egregious abuse of power undermines the mission of law enforcement officers to uphold the law and protect our citizens," said Ralph F. Boyd, Jr., Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "Such behavior is illegal and intolerable. We will prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law." If convicted, the defendants could face a maximum of 10 years in prison. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and was prosecuted by attorneys from the U.S. Attorney's for the Southern District of Texas and the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division. ### 03-227