Orange County Deputies Under Investigation For Allegedly Submitting Doctored Military Orders To Get Paid Time Off
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) -- Several Orange County sheriff's deputies, who are also military reservists, were accused of submitting doctored military orders to get time off from work.
One of the deputies who was on probation has since been let go and six others were placed on administrative leave while the criminal and internal investigation continues.
The military orders in question allowed the deputies to be on paid time off while they were expected to be doing military reservist work, which they are accused of not participating in, said Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's department.
The announcement of the investigations was made on Friday, September 11, leading to a somber statement from the department about the deputies' allegations.
"Especially today, as we commemorate the actions of courageous men and women of the armed services on Patriot Day, it is a dishonor that these members of our organization took advantage of military service for their own personal gain,'' O.C. Sheriff Don Barnes said.
"The actions of these seven individuals do not represent the values of this organization and absolutely do not reflect upon the contributions and sacrifices of the men and women who have courageously served our country as members of our armed forces," Barnes continued.
The names of the deputies who are under investigation were not released.
Federal prosecutors are now reviewing evidence in the case.
In Los Angeles County, an LAPD officer was sentenced to three years probation and 20 days of CalTrans work after allegedly falsely reporting that she was at work 18 times between April 2017 and October 2018 and getting paid $8,543 in wages for those hours.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)