It’s nearing two years since Grecia Figueroa accused former county supervisor and MTS board chair Nathan Fletcher of sexual assault — now she’s dropping that claim.

Fletcher said their relationship, while a terrible mistake, was consensual. Figueroa is is still suing Fletcher, for sexual harassment, among other things.

Fletcher’s political career ended sometime ago, as well as his time in San Diego. But in 2025 , he’ll be back in the courtroom, as his accuser Figueroa moves forward with her civil lawsuit claims of sexual harassment, emotional distress and job disruption.

The former MTS employee says she was fired from her job to protect his run for higher office.

Figueroa sent the following statement to NBC 7:

“I am focusing on the long-term sexual harassment claims, which still stand, and I am ready for a jury trial.”

Much of the publicly available evidence in this case included flirtacious text and Instagram messages between the two.

In recently filed court paperwork she reiterates how on several occasions, Fletcher requested meetings with her, forcibly kissed her and touched her intimately. At one point, she describes him showing her a firearm strapped to his leg. She goes on to state that because of her job duties and his position of power, she felt she had to give into his advances.

One of Fletcher’s attorneys, Sam Sherman responded to the claims on Friday.

“The reality is the only reason she knew about that gun is because she was rubbing his legs, you know, lower leg where his gun was hiding in his boot,” Sherman said.

Sherman commented about text messages between Figueroa and a friend describing the specific incident.

“And when she texts Ms. Radin about him having that gun, Ms. Radin’s response was, that’s so hot,” said Sherman.

In response to the November-filed declaration by Figueroa, Sherman said that her decision to drop some of her claims including gender violence, battery and discrimination shows that her team was not ready to make a case for them.

He also points to text messages she sent to friends about the encounters proves she consented.

“So this effort that they’re now having to try to twist this into some fearful exchange is completely inconsistent with the clear facts of this case, which is that she was bragging about it. And they were talking about how sexy it was,” said Sherman.

Fletcher’s legal team has filed a motion requesting the civil charges against him be thrown out. A judge is scheduled to weigh that motion at a Jan. 10 hearing.

Figueroa says the text messages to her friends were sarcastic and not serious. Her attorneys can also reintroduce the sexual assault charge in the future.

Meanwhile, Fletcher’s camp has an ongoing defamation lawsuit against Figueroa.

EL SEGUNDO — When they began to survey the roster and all that went haywire before their arrival, general manager Joe Hortiz, coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter decided the Chargers’ defense could be and should be upgraded for the 2024 season.

Small changes were made, minor tweaks that got little notice around the known football universe. Mostly, though, there was a buy-in from the players that Hortiz, Harbaugh and Minter noticed from the first days of practice in the spring. Matters could be improved by leaps and bounds without major changes.

Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, two veteran outside linebackers and cornerstones of the defense, agreed in the offseason to take pay cuts so Hortiz could make the moves he made and still remain under the salary cap. According to Minter, it “set an unbelievable tone” for what was to follow.

Poona Ford strengthened the defensive line. Denzel Perryman did the same with the inside linebackers. Bud Dupree added depth to the already fearsome outside linebacker corps. Defensive back Elijah Molden was the latest addition, acquired after training camp, and he was an impact player.

In no time at all, it became evident that the Chargers had created something special. By midseason, they were firmly entrenched as the NFL’s stingiest defense, with a chance to give up the fewest points in the league in a season for the first time since they were the AFL champions way back in 1963.

Going into their regular-season finale against the Raiders (4-12) on Sunday in Las Vegas, the Chargers (10-6) have given up 17.6 points per game, the fewest in the NFL. They’re coming off a playoff-clinching victory over the New England Patriots in which they gave up only a touchdown and an extra point.

“What we found, and I don’t know if (Harbaugh) has said this, but there was an unbelievable thing going on here,” Minter said. “For whatever reason. It wasn’t like you had to change a bunch of guys’ attitudes and work ethic. It was unbelievable from the second we walked in the door, and I think it’s gone both ways.”

Now, finishing the regular season with the NFL’s best defense is a pride thing.

“It’s cool, man,” Mack said. “It’s a cool goal, something we probably didn’t think we could accomplish early in the season. To have that opportunity, that capability, is dope. Carrying that into the postseason (next week) and getting better is the ultimate process for us right now.”

Mack and safety Derwin James Jr. were named Thursday to the Pro Bowl for the ninth time and fourth time, respectively, in their careers. They were honored, but it wasn’t as if they were the only standouts in a defense that has set a high standard for success in the new regime’s first season.

“It would mean a lot because that was our ultimate goal,” James said of the possibility of having the league’s top defense after Sunday’s game against the Raiders. “Every day we break it down to be the best. That’s our mindset. That’s our goal. We take the field to do that every day.

“It’s coming out strong, starting fast. You’ve got to start the game fast, and I feel like we’ve been starting out fast on defense all year long. We’ve also finished games good, too. So, we just want to continue to build on that. Every guy is working toward that. We’re definitely getting better as a team.”

INJURY REPORT

The Chargers ruled out running back Gus Edwards (ankle) and wide receiver Joshua Palmer (foot) for Sunday’s game, but their status for the wild-card playoff game next weekend was uncertain. Linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin) was doubtful to play Sunday and safety Alohi Gilman (hamstring) was questionable. Gilman has been sidelined since he was hurt in a game Nov. 25 against the Baltimore Ravens.

A man was startled awake by a fiery car crash in his front yard in La Mesa. Instead of calling police, he jumped into action, pulling a passenger from the burning car.

The accident happened just before 1 a.m. on Baltimore Drive near Laport Street.

Kerry Campbell wasted no time getting his front yard, ordinarily the envy of the neighborhood, back in order. Fourteen hours earlier, it looked more like a bonfire.

“My wife and I hear a loud boom,” Campbell said. “I used one fire extinguisher and realized it wasn’t going to do anything. It felt like it lasted five minutes. Looking at the video, it lasted less than two minutes. I went around to the driver’s side door and pried it open and just pulled her out.”

She is the 25-year-old passenger of an incinerated Toyota Scion that crashed in front of Campbell’s home. Police say her injuries were not life threatening. She may have Campbell to thank for that.

“She was awake but not verbal,” Campbell said. “Clearly injured, but I didn’t see any blood.”

Neighbor Elizabeth Munn was terrified the fire might spread to her home next door.

“I was panicking because I have pets,” Munn said. “I was running in, trying to find them all. The car was almost completely engulfed in flames at that point. It was really scary. In the movies, you see cars on fire that go kaboom.”

Campbell not only pulled the young passenger from her burning car. His doorbell camera video shows that Campbell did it in boxers and bare feet — to his wife’s dismay.

“Kerry, get out of there,” his wife is heard saying in the recording.

How the car got there is a tale with many twists. Witnesses say the Scion was northbound on Baltimore Drive. Some 100 yards from Campbell’s house, the driver lost control, crossed the median and then collided with an evergreen tree in the middle of the road.

The force of the collision was so great, car glass was sprayed on the roof of the home across the street. The Scion barreled the wrong way toward Campbell’s front yard, finally coming to rest after crashing into his palm tree.

“A little emotional afterwards because my wife and kids were inside, and it could have ended up a lot worse,” Campbell said. “I feel good. I feel fortunate.”

Campbell says his actions were reflexive. He wasn’t thinking about it. He just did what needed to be done. He’s had no formal fire training. He was trained as a Marine 26 years ago, and he credits that training for being able to respond when needed.

La Mesa police say the 20-year-old driver remained at the scene and was arrested for driving under the influence.