Home › News › Camarillo
Trial opens for man accused of fight with deputy in jail
Download this story as a podcast!
STORY TOOLS 
More from CamarilloA Camarillo man is on trial in Ventura County Superior Court for fighting with a sheriff's deputy at the county jail last year after the man's cell was searched for contraband.
Yousef Edward Salaam, 22, allegedly yelled obscenities and later fought with Deputy Aaron Wilkinson, according to prosecutors.
Salaam is facing 16 months in jail if convicted of the charge of resisting arrest, said Deputy District Attorney Blake Heller.
Salaam was in jail after pleading guilty to second-degree robbery last year. He has not been sentenced for that charge, and faces up to five years in prison for it. Also, he pleaded guilty to petty theft in 2006, according to court records.
He allegedly fought with the deputy on Oct. 23 after a deodorant bottle was confiscated from him because it didn't have a label, which is against the jail rules because it had been altered.
Salaam's case, a non-jury trial, is being heard by Superior Court Judge Kent Kellegrew.
Three deputies are expected to testify for the prosecution. Five jail inmates will testify for the defense.
In court, Wilkinson testified that Salaam struck him with his fists after he tried to move Salaam to another cell. Wilkinson said the fight occurred after Salaam refused to obey orders to face the wall, and raised his fist and took a fighting stance.
"I was getting hit, and I was trying to avoid the blows," Wilkinson said. He said he had a sore jaw as a result of the fight.
During opening statements to the judge, Salaam's lawyer, Cynthia Ellington, said her client asked Wilkinson every hour what time it was. She said Wilkinson got upset, cursed at Salaam and asked him why he need to know the time.
"Do you have a hot date?" she said Wilkinson asked Salaam.
Wilkinson and two other deputies conducted a random search of the cell, and Salaam was completely cooperative, the attorney said.
She said the deputies later heard him cursing, returned to his cell and sprayed him with pepper spray. She said Wilkinson has a reputation as a hothead.
Posted by zulumaster on June 7, 2008 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What a joke!!! you guys dont have any better news then some stupid inmate story!!!!
He will be found GUILTY!!!
Posted by santio89 on June 7, 2008 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
whatif ... I can see that you have a lot of bad experiences with police. Or maybe you don't think & are immature.
So, you're hommies DO fight one on one & no one else jumps in, right?
Think before you type, lame.
Posted by peterpan11 on June 7, 2008 at 2:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So let me get this right? Salaam was charged and convicted of robbery. According to the California Penal Code, Robbery is "taking of property from another with the use of force or violence". And Wilkinson is the hot head? This attorney is a smuck and she cant sleep well at night knowing she is defending a low-life thug piece of garbage. And 5 other inmates are going to testify on Salaam's behalf. Wonder what they're going to say?! Stupid.
Posted by esq357 on June 7, 2008 at 5:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So let me get this straight and I quote "Salaam is facing 16 months in jail if convicted of the charge of resisting arrest, said Deputy District Attorney Blake Heller". What kind of idiot is going to charge someone with resisting arrest while they are in jail? Maybe he should return to law school and research assault and battery case law! Then the deputies go after him because and I quote “the deodorant bottle was confiscated from him because it didn't have a label, which is against the jail rules because it had been altered.” Can you say get a life and if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then I guess it’s a duck. Maybe the guy was bored after spending days in jail and peeled the sticker off. Well I guess that should be a felony and maybe a third strike, so that we can send me packing for 25 to life.
Posted by bh32 on June 7, 2008 at 6:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This guy brought himself to jail just by his actions and should be put into a very dark cell until his trial and then put back in there until he can act like a human being...
Posted by star on June 7, 2008 at 11:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
A deodorant bottle was confiscated? Odor in the court!
Posted by mtnbkr on June 8, 2008 at 12:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
esq357...Maybe you should familiarize yourself with the Penal Code. There are two sections commonly referred to as "resisting arrest", yet the definitions are actually "obstructing or resisting" an officer who's performing their duty. One of them is a felony if there is violence or a threat of violence, the other is a misdemeanor. If he faces prison, he must have been charged with the felony. A missing label might not seem like a big deal to you, but if it's a rule, then the inmate should follow it. After all, he was already IN JAIL. Not many idiots are dumb enough to commit a CRIME IN JAIL.
Posted by hockeyfan3144 on June 9, 2008 at 5:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What a waste of tax payers money!!
Posted by GNTLMNJACK on June 27, 2008 at 4:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Salami obviously needs more time behind bars to try to figure out a way to not be such a jackass. Had he followed the rules he could have avoided the incident which seems to be a trend for Salami. Had he purchased a watch instead of trying to steal one he wouldn't have to ask the time. As for the women's shaving cream....he shouldn't worry about someone seeing he prefers the ladies' brand, it will probably make him more popular with his softer flower smelling skin. As for the deputy....hot headed, level headed, thick headed, big headed...who cares? Many thanks to Wilkinson for dealing with this scum so we don't have to.
(Requires free registration.)
Article discussions on this site are to support community debates of issues related to our stories and editorials.
Discussions should not stray from the subject of the story or editorial.
We do not allow the following:
We reserve the right to delete threads and/or ban users for these or other reasons we deem necessary.
Opinions are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.