Newport detective takes Fifth

Deepa Bharath

A Newport Beach police detective, who is being investigated for

worker’s compensation fraud, took the Fifth Amendment on Friday after

defense attorneys called her to testify in a high-profile rape trial

involving three teens.

Teri Fischer was one of the investigators in a gang-rape case

involving Greg Haidl, the son of Orange County Assistant Sheriff Don

Haidl, Kyle Nachreiner and Keith Spann. The three teenagers are

accused of raping an unconscious 16-year-old and sexually assaulting

her with various objects on a pool table in the garage of Haidl’s

Corona del Mar home.

On Wednesday, defense attorney Joseph Cavallo played a videotape

of Fischer questioning the girl at Newport Beach Police Department on

July 9, 2002, about four days after the alleged incident.

Defense attorneys said in their opening statements that Fischer

conducted a shoddy investigation and coaxed the girl over several

meetings to pursue the case.

Prosecutors said they had not planned on calling Fischer to

testify because she is not the lead investigator in the case.

Defense attorneys served her a subpoena, but Fischer appeared at

the courtroom on Friday to take the stand with the jury absent.

Defense attorney Joseph Cavallo said he had hoped that Fischer would

be available to testify.

“She was important to us because she was the catalyst who made

Jane Doe the victim,” he said. “But Fischer’s out now.”

Fischer, an award-winning police officer with Newport Beach Police

Department, has been on disability from a work-related injury since

September 2002. She testified during a pretrial hearing in January

2003. Fischer still hasn’t been charged with the alleged fraud.

The Orange County District Attorney’s office would not comment.

Newport Beach police referred Fischer’s worker’s compensation to the

district attorney in late March, police said.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@ latimes.com.