Officer convicted of domestic battery sentenced to probation; SDPD status under review

San Diego County Superior Court in downtown San Diego File photo by Chris Stone Times of San Diego A San Diego police officer who was convicted of domestic battery involving his ex-girlfriend was sentenced Friday to three years of probation Seth Tate was arrested in March of last year and later charged in five separate incidents that allegedly occurred between Tate and the victim who dated for a limited months A San Diego jury convicted Tate in June of domestic battery but acquitted him of two other battery counts and hung on two other domestic violence counts Tate had been with the San Diego Police Department for nearly three years at the time of his arrest Since then Tate has been on administrative duties with no contact with the constituents pending the outcome of the criminal study an SDPD spokesperson noted Friday Now that the criminal episode has concluded the department will move forward with its administrative process regarding Tate s employment their announcement continued At trial Deputy District Attorney Carlos Campbell described Tate as jealous volatile and erratic throughout the brief relationship The prosecutor explained jurors that Tate kicked the woman on one occasion and on others forcefully grabbed her by the arms leaving bruises Tate s defense attorney Sean Jones commented bulk of the alleged incidents lacked corroborating observers and argued that both his client and his ex- girlfriend were frequently physical with one another He mentioned Tate often restrained the woman to prevent her from physically attacking him But Campbell alleged the woman was not the first person he had been physically violent with Both Tate s ex-girlfriend and ex-fiancee testified in the trial San Diego Superior Court Judge Joan Weber noted their accounts of Tate s behavior were virtually identical in the details of the jealousy the emotional and the physical abuse despite both women being strangers to one another But Weber commented she wouldn t impose custody because the victim didn t sustain serious physical injuries Tate s probation terms include hours of volunteer work function and completion of a year-long domestic violence undertaking