Oakland officer pleads not guilty to charges he drunkenly assaulted couple while off duty

FREMONT (BCN)— An Oakland police officer pleaded not guilty today to misdemeanor battery and trespassing and refusing to leave private property charges in connection with an alleged drunken assault on a woman and her husband in December.
   
Cullen William Faeth, who didn't have to appear at his brief hearing in Alameda County Superior Court in Fremont because it's only a misdemeanor case, is scheduled to have a pretrial hearing on Aug. 9.
   
The charges against Faeth stem from a Dec. 7 incident in which he allegedly attacked the woman, who is a county probation officer, and her husband while Faeth was off-duty.
   
Faeth was intoxicated at the time, according to a probable cause declaration by Oakland police Sgt. Richard Vass.
   
The night of the incident, the victim was at her Oakland hills home with her husband and two children when a man showed up at her front door at about 9:30 p.m., according to the victim.
   
After banging on the door, the man, who was later identified as Faeth, allegedly tried to get inside the home by shaking the door handle and trying to push it open.
   
When the woman's husband stepped outside to confront Faeth, he was kicked in the stomach, according to an account she and her family provided in February at the office of her attorney, John Burris.
   
As the woman came out of the home, Faeth started walking toward the side yard, where a second man was seen running out of the backyard. He was seen holding what might have been a gun, according to the woman.
   
Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said two weeks ago that an internal affairs investigation has been completed and Faeth is still on paid administrative leave pending an administrative process.
   
Faeth allegedly jumped on the woman before he was arrested, grabbing her in a bear hug and bringing her to the ground. The victim's account of the alleged battery was similar to what Sgt. Vass said in his probable cause declaration.
   
The woman suffered bruises on her arm and leg in the assault, according to her attorney. She said she felt "humiliated" and "exposed" because she was only dressed in a bathrobe.
   
Burris filed a claim on Feb. 24 on the woman's behalf against the city of Oakland and police.
   
The family is seeking a thorough and comprehensive investigation of the incident and unspecified monetary damages.