Domestic violence case against Sacramento police officer continued to June 1

The first court appearance for a Sacramento police officer accused in a domestic violence case has been put on hold until next month.

Justin David Shepard, 30, was arrested Friday and subsequently released on $50,000 bail. He was scheduled to appear Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court, but his case was continued to June 1. A criminal complaint in the case had not been filed as of early Tuesday afternoon.

Sacramento police said Friday that officers had been notified May 6 “of an incident regarding domestic violence that occurred in the Natomas area approximately one week ago.”

“The victim sustained visible injuries that did not require hospitalization,” the department said.

Shepard has been placed on administrative leave, and the police department noted Friday that “California law prohibits any person to be a police officer after a domestic violence conviction.”

Shepard’s scheduled appearance comes one day after the arraignment of Officer Alexa Palubicki, who is charged with two felony counts of filing a false police report.

Palubikci, 26, is accused in a case stemming from the arrest of a motorist in July who was found to have a loaded handgun in a backpack inside his car.

She is accused of concocting the probable cause to approach the motorist, allegedly claiming he failed to signal a turn and was suspected of driving under the influence, court records say.

Palubicki, who did not enter a plea Monday, is on leave pending an investigation, as is her partner, Rowan Vining, according to internal police documents obtained by The Bee.

The department has not said how many officers have been placed on leave in that investigation.

This story was originally published May 11, 2021 at 11:47 AM.