Wednesday, April 1, 1998 | 9:55 a.m.
Former Metro Police Officer Michael Ramirez huffed and fussed and gritted his teeth in court Tuesday as he ever so reluctantly pleaded guilty to coercing a Las Vegas couple to perform sexual acts in front of him.
His tearful wife sat in the back of the courtroom quietly begging, "Don't do it."
The guilty plea Tuesday by the 28-year-old former patrolman to two counts of oppression under the color of office prematurely ended Ramirez's trial on a variety of charges, including sexual assault.
Defense attorney Frank Cremen said the plea bargain was too enticing to pass up because it virtually guaranteed that Ramirez will be given probation, although it also means he will be a convicted felon.
District Judge Myron Leavitt said that Ramirez would be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea and stand trial if he is not given probation. The judge added that he is inclined to be lenient when the defendant is sentenced on April 24.
But Deputy District Attorney Tom Moreo, who heads the district attorney office's Crimes Against Women and Children unit, vowed, "We're going to argue for prison time."
Had Ramirez gone to trial and been convicted of sexual assault, it would have meant a life prison term and no parole for at least five years.
Still, Ramirez was reluctant to admit any wrongdoing or that he used his badge, gun and the indirect threat of arrest to force the couple to engage in sex in front of him at an isolated spot near Red Rock Canyon on Oct. 4, 1996.
When Leavitt asked him if he had done those things -- a required admission in a guilty plea -- Ramirez paused for several seconds, diverting his gaze away from the judge and finally answering, "yeah."
Deputy District Attorney Vickie Monroe scoffed at Ramirez's actions, noting that his version of the late night events to Metro investigators almost mirrored the stories of the victims. The difference, she said, was that the defendant contended the sex display was offered and consensual while the victims claimed it was coerced by the threat of arrest.
Monroe said the plea bargain is reasonable because "this is a tough case and any time there is a trial, there is the potential for an acquittal.
"We got two felony convictions on this guy and have made sure he will never work as a police officer again," she said.
Ramirez is now living in Phoenix and working as a plumber.
Cremen lamented that because of the incident Ramirez "lost his job, his home, his cars and sold his furniture to post bond. He had to move. He lost everything."
Cremen questioned the veracity of the victims, noting that the woman was a topless dancer and alleging the the man may have been possessing drugs and looking for a way to divert the officer's attention away from a search of their car.
Moreo countered that the couple would not have reported the incident and put themselves through police scrutiny if their story wasn't true.
Monroe added that Ramirez was on "light duty" at the time of the incident and was not authorized to be in the area or make traffic stops. She pointed out that if Ramirez had been performing a legitimate police function when he approached the couple, he would have radioed in his location and asked for a check of the vehicle's license plate. He didn't.
Monroe said the couple was engaged at the time and even had a marriage license, but they broke up over the incident.
"She blamed him for not stopping the incident and he felt powerless to prevent it," Moreo said, indicating the pair would appear at Ramirez's sentencing to tell the court of the impact the incident had on their lives.
It was the second time Ramirez had pleaded guilty in the case. He had pleaded guilty earlier this year to a single count of oppression, but withdrew the plea after the state Parole and Probation Department recommended a prison sentence of two to four years.
Cremen also hoped to exploit the arrest of one of the victims on cocaine trafficking charges to cast doubts on his story. But a Clark County Grand Jury declined to indict the man and Leavitt ruled that evidence of the arrest could not be presented to the jury at Ramirez's trial.
The couple had complained to police a couple of days after the incident that Ramirez, who was not in uniform but displayed a badge and gun, asked suggestive questions and finally said they could avoid arrest by engaging in a sex act.
The couple, both 28, said they complied out of fear that Ramirez would plant some contraband and arrest them or harm them at the remote site.
As a result of the complaint, the man was fitted with a recording device by Metro investigators and arrangements were made for him to encounter Ramirez at a restaurant.
The resulting tape recording is said to have confirmed the couple's story, as did a later interview of Ramirez by detectives, prosecutors said.
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