Photo: David McNew/Getty Images
A San Fernando police officer was accused of stealing money from a man during an arrest nearly a year ago.Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Thursday.
Jeffrey King, 37, was charged Tuesday with felony second-degree robbery and extortion, along with misdemeanor larceny, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
An arraignment date has not yet been set for King, whose status with the San Fernando Police Department was not immediately available.
The incident for which King is accused occurred on June 21, 2022, when the police officer responded to a call about a possible case of domestic violence in a house in San Fernando.
King detained and arrested a suspect who served two days in jail.
When he was released and collected his belongings, the man said that he was missing some money that he had in one of his pockets at the time of his arrest.
“Law enforcement officials take an oath to uphold the law, not break it. Maintaining integrity is a fundamental principle and stealing personal items during an arrest is a clear violation of that trust,” said Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón.
Prosecutors allege King took cell phones and cash from the arrested man, but that he only turned the phones over later to a supervisor.
The cash was never recorded as evidence or returned to the man, who was released two days later, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The case stemmed from an investigation conducted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Bureau of Internal Criminal Investigations at the request of the San Fernando police chief, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
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