Deputy in Fresno battery case given anger management course. Victim was another cop

A Fresno County deputy accused of misdemeanor battery on a higher ranked law enforcement officer has been ordered to take anger management courses, according to prosecutors.

Deputy Eric Schmidt, 47, was charged in September for a Feb. 15 incident though few details have been made public, according to Fresno County Superior Court records.

He previously denied the charges.

The filing document lists the victim as Frances Devins, who is a lieutenant in the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

Schmidt was arraigned on Nov. 1 though he did not enter a plea, according to Stuart Anderson, a spokesperson for the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.

The Tulare DA took the case to avoid a conflict of interests, according to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.

Schmidt was given a 12-week anger management diversion course, which if completed could allow a judge to dismiss the criminal charge, the Tulare DA’s office said.

The next diversion hearing was scheduled for March 1 in Fresno.

The Fresno City Attorney’s Office denied a public records request from The Bee for the police report, saying the investigation was ongoing. The Tulare DA’s spokesperson said his office could not release the police report.

Schmidt has not been placed on administrative leave, according to Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni.

Schmidt’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.