San Fernando police officer Jeffrey King charged with stealing money from man during arrest

A San Fernando police officer has been charged with 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 one felony count each of second-degree robbery and extortion, along with a misdemeanor count of petty theft, 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.

Prosecutors allege that King took cell phones and cash from a man arrested last June 21 in connection with a call of possible domestic violence, but that he only handed the phones over later to a supervisor.

The cash was never booked into evidence or returned to the man, who was released two days later, according to the District Attorney's Office, which could not be reached for immediate comment on the amount of cash allegedly taken.

"Law enforcement officers take an oath to uphold the law, not to break it. Maintaining integrity is a fundamental principle of law enforcement and stealing personal belongings during an arrest is a clear violation of that trust," Gascón said in a statement announcing the charges.

The case stemmed from an investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau at the request of the San Fernando police chief, according to the District Attorney's Office.