A Bakersfield assistant police chief was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of felony domestic assault after officers responded to a bar just after midnight and found a woman in the parking lot who alleged she had been a victim of domestic violence.

Officers arrived early Wednesday morning at the VIP Lounge, a neighborhood bar in Bakersfield, and determined the suspect was Assistant Chief Evan Demestihas.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Demestihas, and he surrendered to the Taft city jail, where he was booked on the felony charge, according to a Bakersfield Police Department news release.

Demestihas will be placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of criminal and administrative investigations, according to the department. For the time being, he will be paid while on leave, according to the department.


“We take all domestic violence cases very seriously,” Chief Lyle Martin said in a statement. “The Bakersfield Police Department will conduct a thorough and complete investigation into this matter. No one is above the law.”