Former head of Cal Poly ROTC denied military diversion in Pismo Beach dressing room case
The former chairperson of Cal Poly’s ROTC program could face the maximum sentence of three or more years in prison after a judge denied his request for military diversion.
Lt. Col. Jacob Sweatland, 40, is facing two misdemeanor charges related to allegedly secretly filming a teenager and woman in a Pismo Beach dressing room.
Military diversion allows defendants to divert their sentences for one year in misdemeanor cases, during which the defendant must abide by all laws and community service requirements.
Court documents show Sweatland’s attorney filed a motion for military diversion on March 20. A motion opposing the diversion was filed by prosecutors on April 10, and San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Jesse Marino denied the diversion on April 12.
“The People contend that Defendant’s repugnant behavior shocks the conscience of civil society and poses a clear danger to innocent citizens,” the opposition motion filed by District Attorney Dan Dow read. “The calculated and covert method in which Defendant repeatedly targeted vulnerable young women demonstrates little potential for rehabilitation in the Military Diversion Program.”
Teen girl found camera in dressing room
Sweatland was arrested Sept. 2 after a teenage girl found a spy camera in the PacSun dressing room.
Pismo Beach Police Department Commander Chris Trimble told The Tribune Sept. 2 that an object resembling a key fob with a built-in camera was found by store staff, at which time the police were called and opened an investigation.
On Sept. 4, Trimble said, the store contacted the police and reported a man later identified as Sweatland had returned to retrieve the fob.
Sweatland ran from officers before being caught in the 200 block of Elaine Way in Pismo Beach, around a mile from the outlets.
Sweatland was charged Oct. 28 with two misdemeanors: resisting a peace officer and invasion of privacy.
He was released on bond and asked to have his case moved to diversion court, court documents showed.
“It’s for a direct, causal connection between mental illness from military service and the alleged crime, and County Mental Health already said (Sweatland) would qualify for the program,” Ilan Funke-Bilu, Sweatland’s attorney, told The Tribune.
Funke-Bilu said his client is a decorated veteran who has been deployed four times — in Colombia, Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq — and has a mental health diagnosis “directly linked to his service for our country.”
Sweatland is not currently teaching on campus, Cal Poly spokesperson Matt Lazier told The Tribune at the time of Sweatland’s arrest in an email.
“Cal Poly takes very seriously any conduct or behavior that could negatively impact our university community. We have worked closely with Pismo Beach police on their investigation into Sweatland and have determined that no criminal activity connected with this case is alleged to have happened on the university’s campus,” he said.
