By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com
A former California Highway Patrol officer allegedly offered $10,000 to a "confidential informant" to kill a witness in his drugs and weapons case in the Placer County Superior Court, court documents show.
Ruben Cesar Salgado (photo left), 37, pleaded not guilty today in Placer County Superior Court to the solicitation to commit murder charge.
Salgado also faces drug and weapons charges in the same court.
Judge Mark S. Curry also ordered Salgado held without bail on the solicitation charge and raised the bail on the other charges to $500,000 from $70,000.
Curry also ruled that Placer County has jurisdiction in the case, even though the alleged solicitation occurred in Sacramento County.
Salgado was initially arrested May 11 by the California Highway Patrol on drug and weapons charges following a two-month investigation.
A 12-year CHP veteran, Salgado had been assigned to patrol duties in the Auburn area since January 2009. He was arrested in May on six felony counts, including possession and transportation of a controlled substance and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony.
Officials said in May that an outside source alerted CHP and Placer County district attorney's investigators to Salgado's alleged criminal activity involving drug use.
He pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Placer Superior Court on May 13.
Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.
Previous coverage:
CHP ex-officer was arrested with woman - July 21, 2010
CHP officer arrested again -- suspected of solicitation to commit murder - July 16, 2010
CHP arrests one of its officers on drug, weapons charges - May 13, 2010









About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.