San Leandro theater owner found guilty of battery on officer

HAYWARD -- A San Leandro theater owner found guilty of battery on a peace officer and obstructing police faces a maximum sentence of two years in county jail.

Dan Dillman, owner of the Bal Theatre, said he plans to file a motion for a new trial and appeal the verdict, which a jury delivered Tuesday evening at the Hayward Hall of Justice.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23.
Dillman was arrested on Oct. 12, after two Alameda County Sheriff's detectives -- Sgt. Michael Carroll and Investigator Terrance Montigue -- ordered him to stop taking photos of them while they conducted a police lineup, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Dillman said the detectives failed to properly identify themselves and he was merely following instructions San Leandro police had given him to combat criminals who had impersonated police officers in the area.
Dillman is pursuing the matter in federal court, where he filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit alleging a false arrest by the Sheriff's Office.
"When the judge and the prosecutor are paid by Alameda County and the Sheriff's Office is paid by the county, then how am I supposed to get a fair trial in Alameda County?" Dillman said Thursday.
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