A white sheriff’s deputy from California with a historical past of stealing cash from weak individuals, together with the homeless and mentally ailing, was cleared of the felony cost in opposition to him final week after agreeing to relinquish his state regulation enforcement certification, sparing himself from a possible three-year jail sentence.
The previous cop, nonetheless, can nonetheless grow to be licensed as a regulation enforcement officer in another state.
Beneath the plea settlement which dismissed the felony cost of grand theft by embezzlement, former Glenn County sheriff’s deputy John Sanzone additionally agreed to return the $3,500 he stole from a homeless man he had arrested who was planning on utilizing the cash for dental work.
Nevertheless, a number of different victims had cash stolen from them who is not going to be repaid, based on a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a Black police officer in opposition to the Oroville Police Division in 2022, the place Sanzone had labored for ten years and had reached the rank of sergeant earlier than becoming a member of the Glenn County Sheriff’s Workplace.
The lawsuit filed by Oroville Police Sgt. Michael Sears accuses the division of masking up for Sanzone for years, permitting him not solely to steal cash from residents but additionally mishandling proof and contraband in addition to refusing to reply to about 80 requires service throughout a four-month interval, together with requires home violence, suicidal topics, lacking juveniles, drug overdoses, animal abuse, vandalism, trespassing and prostitution.
The lawsuit additionally accuses the Oroville Police Division of retaliating in opposition to Sears when he complained about Sanzone by opening an inside affairs investigation in opposition to the Black cop.
In response to the declare:
On July fifth, 2021, Sergeant Sears was on responsibility when a citizen who suffered with psychological sickness got here into the police division to report that Sanzone had stolen $1,300 from the citizen throughout a current arrest. The citizen mentioned he had are available to report this theft a number of instances and he was knowledgeable by one sergeant that the citizen couldn’t make that kind of criticism and was instructed to depart. Sergeant Sears appeared up the police log historical past and noticed that the sergeant who instructed the citizen that he couldn’t make such a criticism was John Sanzone himself.
Sergeant Sears was conscious that this was at the very least the fourth unrelated citizen with psychological well being and or felony historical past who had alleged Sanzone had, stolen cash from them whereas he labored at Oroville Police Division.
Nobody from the administration investigated Sergeant John Sanzone for the alleged theft from this citizen whereas he was employed on the Oroville Police Division and as a substitute Sergeant Sears was accused of and questioned in the course of the IA investigation in opposition to Sears about having made up this theft criticism, was blamed for having crammed out former criticism for the citizen, and was accused of conducting his personal investigation into the theft by merely documenting it in a memo.
Courtroom information point out that Sears’ lawsuit which accused the Oroville Police Division of racism, retaliation and violating his civil rights resulted in a settlement final yr.
Employed, Fired and Arrested
Sanzone left the Oroville Police Division and joined the Glenn County Sheriff’s Workplace in December 2021, apparently taking a pay lower, so he was apparently both fired or pressured to resign from the Oroville Police Division after ten years.
However he solely lasted 9 months on the Glenn County Sheriff’s Workplace after he was fired in September 2022 amid accusations that he stole $3,500 from the homeless man planning on utilizing the cash for dental work.
In Might 2023, he was arrested on a single felony cost of grand theft by embezzlement which carries a sentence of as much as three years. He spent no time in jail, posting bond after he was booked.
Two years later, the Glenn County District Lawyer’s Workplace introduced on its Fb web page on Might 16 that the case in opposition to Sanzone was closed after he agreed to the plea deal, sparking criticism from residents within the feedback part.
“So this man steals whereas he’s a deputy in Oroville & Glenn County employed him, in flip did the identical factor right here,” said a commenter named Faylene Jarman.
“Looks like there’s a sample right here. Glenn County shouldn’t have even employed him! He’ll simply transfer to a different state & do the identical factor. It’s unhappy when you possibly can’t even belief the police.”
“What about all the opposite instances he stole from homeless?” requested a commenter named Invoice Maggs. “The ban is a joke because it solely holds for California. The sheriff previous boy community will organize a job for him in Nevada or Arizona.”
“Simply reveals the precise stage of corruption on this county when a cop steals from a homeless man and walks free,” added a commenter named Corrine Inexperienced.
The Glenn County District Lawyer’s Workplace defended the plea take care of the next remark:
“He didn’t stroll free. He won’t ever be a peace officer in California in his lifetime due to the felony investigation. Many criminals will simply do jail time or pay a wonderful…not lose their jobs. This individual misplaced his job and profession.”
However it’s not unusual for decertified cops to easily transfer to different states to seek out employment, based on a 107-page report revealed by the Yale Regulation Journal in 2020 titled “The Wandering Cop.”
“A major downside with state-by-state certification is that an officer decertified in a single state can transfer throughout state strains and acquire certification, after which employment, in one other,” the report states.
