“I am literally on my way to Florida right now,” said Price during a brief phone call today.
Guap is accused of committing aggravated battery against a security guard at the Treasure Coast Recovery Center in Stuart County, Florida. She was sent to the rehab center two weeks ago by the Richmond Police Department and possibly other Bay Area law-enforcement agencies.
Both the Richmond police and Alameda County District Attorney have refused to say if they paid for, or helped coordinate, sending Guap to Florida. But the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office confirmed today that the Richmond police obtained funding from the state Victims Compensation Program to pay for the rehabilitation services in Florida.
The Bonner & Bonner law firm confirmed to the Express that they are hoping to help get Guap released from jail and to represent her in court.
Price and Bonner have also set up a crowdfunding page to raise money for Guap’s legal and medical expenses.
In May, it was revealed that Guap had been sexually exploited by several Oakland police officers when she was 17 years old. One of the officers who allegedly raped Guap, Brendan O’Brien, shot and killed himself in September of last year. He left a suicide note that sparked an internal OPD investigation, but Oakland police appear to have tried covering up the sex crimes.
Since May, cops from multiple agencies have been implicated in the sex-crime scandal, including several Richmond officers and an inspector from the Alameda County DA’s office.
But, so far, not a single officer has been charged with a crime.
In a previous interview, Price questioned why police sent Guap across the country to Florida, given the fact that she is a key witness to possibly dozens of crimes committed by multiple officers. “From a legal perspective it looks a whole lot like witness tampering to any lawyer,” Price said.
