SAN JOSE — A two-decade veteran officer with the San Jose Police Department is in jail after he was arrested this past week on suspicion of drunkenly firing his gun inside a Morgan Hill home, days after he was accused in Monterey County of assaulting his fiancée’s young daughter, authorities and records confirmed.
Timothy Faye, 51, appeared Friday in a Morgan Hill courtroom, where a judge revoked his $200,000 bail and remanded him to the Santa Clara County Main Jail. He was booked there Wednesday on suspicion of two felony counts of negligent discharge of a firearm.
Faye was not represented by an attorney by the end of the court hearing, after the county public defender’s office declared a conflict. The office did argue for his release, but the court ordered him jailed. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 25.
According to a criminal complaint and the district attorney’s office, Faye is accused of firing at least one gunshot while allegedly intoxicated Tuesday inside a Morgan Hill apartment where his ex-girlfriend lives. An investigation into that shooting revealed that at some point in the past two years, he did something similar at the same location, which added up to the two shooting charges that were filed Friday.
Faye is also accused of misdemeanor child abuse in Monterey County after a June 15 allegation that he grabbed his fiancée’s 8-year-old daughter by the hair and held on for at least 30 seconds, according to prosecutors. He was reportedly arrested then released over the objection of his fiancée.
Deputy District Attorney Jason Malinsky cited the Monterey County case and its proximity to Faye’s recent arrest in his argument to keep Faye in custody.
The San Jose Police Department declined to comment on Faye’s arrest Friday, other than to confirm that he has been placed on administrative leave.
Faye was involved in a high-profile 2018 police shooting as one of two officers who shot and killed 27-year-old Thompson Nguyen, who was roaming the grounds of the Metcalf Energy Center while carrying an ax, prompting on-scene employees to call police. The shooting was featured in a two-year investigation by this news organization on the propensity of the use of deadly and serious force by police on mentally ill and intoxicated people; Nguyen had a history of mental illness and was experiencing a psychiatric crisis when he was killed.
Faye’s arrest evokes a similar arrest of an SJPD officer last August, after which Officer Timothy Hackney was charged with assaulting his pregnant girlfriend as part of a pair of alleged domestic violence incidents in a one-year span, as well as recklessly firing his service weapon in their home with their young child inside.
Hackney’s case is currently in a preliminary examination — where a judge determines whether the charges are sufficient for trial — and returns to court in August.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.