Deputy misconduct report highlights case in Stevenson Ranch

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

The LA Times leads its story on an LA County Sheriff Deputy misconduct report with this scary incident involving an off-duty rookie Deputy in Stevenson Ranch in August 2010:

In the incident at the fast-food restaurant, a deputy in a McDonald’s heard his car alarm go off and went outside to find that the vehicle had been hit. He and the other driver agreed to exchange information, but the other driver didn’t want to alert police, prompting the deputy to pull his gun out and tell the driver he was a cop.

The other driver, surprised by the statement, got back in his car and drove off.

As the car pulled away, the deputy fired several rounds at it. The man wasn’t struck, but his car was.

When investigators arrived, the deputy claimed he had reached into the other car while the other driver was trying to flee, and was dragged 15 feet before he started firing. The incident, however, was caught on tape, showing that he wasn’t dragged. The deputy, a new hire then still on probationary status, was fired after he refused to cooperate with an investigation into the August 2010 incident in Stevenson Ranch.

According to the report itself, four of the shots fired by the Deputy hit the suspect’s car and one of the shots hit a nearby business. The report also states that the driver of the car was later found to be intoxicated. The Deputy’s version of events that day were contradicted by video surveillance at the restaurant.

The LA County Sheriff’s Department employs nearly 18,000 people, a little over half of whom are sworn Deputies. With a workforce that large, you’re bound to have some people who aren’t law enforcement material slip through the cracks. So it’s a relief the Deputy above was dismissed.

On a side note, the misconduct review also shows that Deputies are under the same financial pressures the rest of us are. It speculates that the terrible economy and personal financial pressure may have lead to an increase in the number of financial misconduct cases Deputies were involved in in the last year:

the financial pressure that may have been faced by the involved deputies due to the Global Financial Crisis could well have played a role in their alleged decisions to violate the law and their oaths of office. Deputies were among the many borrowers who financed their homes with adjustable-rate mortgages, but had difficulty making their payments or refinancing once interest rates reset and market values declined. Deputies have also been affected by an increase in unemployment among their spouses as well as unexpected increases in he cost of gasoline and college tuition for themselves and their children.
…
Regrettably, the reduction in available overtime may also have contributed to the rise in poor decision making by deputies who appear to have, at times, resorted to unfortunate measures in order to get out from under debt possibly caused by living beyond their means. In essence, vehicles and other luxury goods may have been acquired when overtime was readily available, and those deputies who no longer have overtime as readily available may not have been able to keep up the payments on those luxury goods.

Comments (18)

rnddudeAugust 5, 2011 at 7:33 am

Good ridance to an obviously bad candidate for law enforcement. Let’s see….pulls his weapon on an unarmed citizen for unjustifiable reasons, discharges 4 rounds in a public area against a fleeing person, lies to authorities about the events, and then refuses to man up and cooperate with the investigation. Good thing he was still on probationary status so that dismissing him was easy to do without union interference.

Timothy Myers SR.August 5, 2011 at 8:03 am

Was this reported in The Signal? I can find nothing in the archives.

ThomasAugust 5, 2011 at 5:00 pm

This was not reported at all in the news. The sheriffs did a good j ob of hiding this in an attempt to protect one of their own.

Timothy Myers SR.August 5, 2011 at 8:08 am

The LA Times coverage is obviously driven by the Kelly Thomas story in Fullerton, where literally the now wall to wall and national coverage was driven by a local Fullerton BLOG which then got the attention of John and Ken who some might say ran amok with it. The OC Register minor coverage of the story made the whole thing seem mild and justified, even though there was a death. Though I find John somewhat venal I do appreciate that he is a pure iconoclast who goes after ANYONE, including the power structures and normal right wing mavens of talk radio if he has taken offense. His riffs on Sarah Palin during the 2008 election nearly had me run off the freeway several times from laughing.

IHeartSCVAugust 5, 2011 at 8:39 am

Venal? What an odd word to describe John Kobylt…how so?

lstaedtlerAugust 5, 2011 at 8:22 am

Yikes. Good thing he got terminated. The title is a little misleading. The McDonalds is actually located in Newhall. Stevenson Ranch only encompasses the area under the Stevenson Ranch master plan.

JeffAugust 5, 2011 at 8:24 am

Technically yes, it’s not SR. But it’s definitely not Newhall. It’s 91381, not 91321. And Sunset Pointe is “represented” by the West Ranch Town Council.

lstaedtlerAugust 5, 2011 at 10:57 am

I guess I have to disagree with you. According to USPS, Newhall is 91321 and portions of 91381. All of the businesses along Chiquella Lane is listed as Newhall. In-n-Out, McDonalds even on their reciepts say Newhall. As Leon said, these area existed long before Stevenson Ranch and still retain Newhall addresses. Stevenson Ranch is similar to Valencia. Only areas developed by Newhall Land are considered Valencia. Thus only Dale Pole development is considered Stevenson Ranch.

Leon WordenAugust 5, 2011 at 10:43 am

LOL Jeff, Jeff. Some 91381 is Newhall. Sunset Pointe is Newhall. Chiquella Lane is Newhall. West side of Old Road north of Pico is Valencia. East side of Old Road north of Pico is Stevenson Ranch. West of Pico is complicated; parts that were in the original Dale Poe development plan of the mid-1980s are Stevenson Ranch. But Chiquella Lane and Sunset Pointe are Newhall. Why? Because Chiquella Lane and the surrounding acreage was Newhall LOOONG before anybody ever dreamed of a Stevenson Ranch. The 1970 Newhall Incident played out in Newhall — at a house that used to sit above the Mobil station.

Leon WordenAugust 5, 2011 at 10:44 am

When I said “west of Pico is complicated” I meant “south of Pico is complicated.” Too darned many directions.

digital_user63August 5, 2011 at 10:57 am

Wow, I also don’t remember hearing about this. What makes it more scary is how many people are always around that area; from Chuy’s to In n Out.

rnddudeAugust 5, 2011 at 11:18 am

Does it really matter if it happened in Newhall or Stevenson Ranch????

LindaAugust 5, 2011 at 11:38 am

Only to people who live in “Stevenson Ranch.”

dtransAugust 5, 2011 at 12:39 pm

No but Jeff is generally picky on place names

CCAugust 5, 2011 at 2:43 pm

Come on, we all know it to be Hamburger Hill.

Gang FangAugust 5, 2011 at 3:16 pm

Sigh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH0UuyNTakY

4eyedsueAugust 5, 2011 at 3:37 pm

The Kelly Thomas incident has so many rightfully angry the the Fullerton police for what seems to be an complete overuse of force on a mentally ill man. Law enforcement receives training on how to deal with the mentally ill (and chances are they had ran across Mr. Thomas before). And they also go through extensive psychological evaluations before hire to weed out officers who cannot handle stress well. I hope that this incident will also get people talking about the plight of those with mental illness and their families. People with mental illness can only receive involuntary treatment if they are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. Once stabilized on medication, they are released. Many go off of their medications and right back to their old lifestyle of wandering. Over 20% our homeless population are mentally ill (compared to only 6% of the general population that have a mental illness). Parents of adult children with schizophrenia, bi-polar and other devastating disorders can do very little. We see these people on the streets and we look the other way. I’m glad it’s being talked about- but at what a horrible price.

LindaAugust 5, 2011 at 4:04 pm

Sadly, some of the very qualities that make for a good law enforcement officer can “evolve” into qualities that result in cruelty and lack of compassion. I couldn’t listen to the tapes which John & Ken played of the beating — they were too gut wrenching. My heart goes out to the father of this young man. What an atrocity. You are right, 4eyedsue, we do need a better way of dealing with the mentally ill. Once upon a time, they were locked away in huge “hospitals” and often abused. Now, unless they commit crimes, they are often allowed so much freedom that they are a danger to themselves and sometimes others. There must be some sort of acceptable middle ground between the two extremes.

rnddudeAugust 5, 2011 at 7:33 am
Good ridance to an obviously bad candidate for law enforcement. Let’s see….pulls his weapon on an unarmed citizen for unjustifiable reasons, discharges 4 rounds in a public area against a fleeing person, lies to authorities about the events, and then refuses to man up and cooperate with the investigation. Good thing he was still on probationary status so that dismissing him was easy to do without union interference.
Timothy Myers SR.August 5, 2011 at 8:03 am
Was this reported in The Signal? I can find nothing in the archives.
ThomasAugust 5, 2011 at 5:00 pm
This was not reported at all in the news. The sheriffs did a good j ob of hiding this in an attempt to protect one of their own.
Timothy Myers SR.August 5, 2011 at 8:08 am
The LA Times coverage is obviously driven by the Kelly Thomas story in Fullerton, where literally the now wall to wall and national coverage was driven by a local Fullerton BLOG which then got the attention of John and Ken who some might say ran amok with it. The OC Register minor coverage of the story made the whole thing seem mild and justified, even though there was a death. Though I find John somewhat venal I do appreciate that he is a pure iconoclast who goes after ANYONE, including the power structures and normal right wing mavens of talk radio if he has taken offense. His riffs on Sarah Palin during the 2008 election nearly had me run off the freeway several times from laughing.
IHeartSCVAugust 5, 2011 at 8:39 am
Venal? What an odd word to describe John Kobylt…how so?
lstaedtlerAugust 5, 2011 at 8:22 am
Yikes. Good thing he got terminated. The title is a little misleading. The McDonalds is actually located in Newhall. Stevenson Ranch only encompasses the area under the Stevenson Ranch master plan.
JeffAugust 5, 2011 at 8:24 am
Technically yes, it’s not SR. But it’s definitely not Newhall. It’s 91381, not 91321. And Sunset Pointe is “represented” by the West Ranch Town Council.
lstaedtlerAugust 5, 2011 at 10:57 am
I guess I have to disagree with you. According to USPS, Newhall is 91321 and portions of 91381. All of the businesses along Chiquella Lane is listed as Newhall. In-n-Out, McDonalds even on their reciepts say Newhall. As Leon said, these area existed long before Stevenson Ranch and still retain Newhall addresses. Stevenson Ranch is similar to Valencia. Only areas developed by Newhall Land are considered Valencia. Thus only Dale Pole development is considered Stevenson Ranch.
Leon WordenAugust 5, 2011 at 10:43 am
LOL Jeff, Jeff. Some 91381 is Newhall. Sunset Pointe is Newhall. Chiquella Lane is Newhall. West side of Old Road north of Pico is Valencia. East side of Old Road north of Pico is Stevenson Ranch. West of Pico is complicated; parts that were in the original Dale Poe development plan of the mid-1980s are Stevenson Ranch. But Chiquella Lane and Sunset Pointe are Newhall. Why? Because Chiquella Lane and the surrounding acreage was Newhall LOOONG before anybody ever dreamed of a Stevenson Ranch. The 1970 Newhall Incident played out in Newhall — at a house that used to sit above the Mobil station.
Leon WordenAugust 5, 2011 at 10:44 am
When I said “west of Pico is complicated” I meant “south of Pico is complicated.” Too darned many directions.
digital_user63August 5, 2011 at 10:57 am
Wow, I also don’t remember hearing about this. What makes it more scary is how many people are always around that area; from Chuy’s to In n Out.
rnddudeAugust 5, 2011 at 11:18 am
Does it really matter if it happened in Newhall or Stevenson Ranch????
LindaAugust 5, 2011 at 11:38 am
Only to people who live in “Stevenson Ranch.”
dtransAugust 5, 2011 at 12:39 pm
No but Jeff is generally picky on place names
CCAugust 5, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Come on, we all know it to be Hamburger Hill.
Gang FangAugust 5, 2011 at 3:16 pm
Sigh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH0UuyNTakY
4eyedsueAugust 5, 2011 at 3:37 pm
The Kelly Thomas incident has so many rightfully angry the the Fullerton police for what seems to be an complete overuse of force on a mentally ill man. Law enforcement receives training on how to deal with the mentally ill (and chances are they had ran across Mr. Thomas before). And they also go through extensive psychological evaluations before hire to weed out officers who cannot handle stress well. I hope that this incident will also get people talking about the plight of those with mental illness and their families. People with mental illness can only receive involuntary treatment if they are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. Once stabilized on medication, they are released. Many go off of their medications and right back to their old lifestyle of wandering. Over 20% our homeless population are mentally ill (compared to only 6% of the general population that have a mental illness). Parents of adult children with schizophrenia, bi-polar and other devastating disorders can do very little. We see these people on the streets and we look the other way. I’m glad it’s being talked about- but at what a horrible price.
LindaAugust 5, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Sadly, some of the very qualities that make for a good law enforcement officer can “evolve” into qualities that result in cruelty and lack of compassion. I couldn’t listen to the tapes which John & Ken played of the beating — they were too gut wrenching. My heart goes out to the father of this young man. What an atrocity. You are right, 4eyedsue, we do need a better way of dealing with the mentally ill. Once upon a time, they were locked away in huge “hospitals” and often abused. Now, unless they commit crimes, they are often allowed so much freedom that they are a danger to themselves and sometimes others. There must be some sort of acceptable middle ground between the two extremes.