My Story

In October of 2008 my life would take an unexpected and drastic turn. A rumor alleging inappropriate behavior was spread throughout the Folsom Police Department about the team I worked with. Even though the rumor was investigated and determined to be false, it still led to a corrupt police department firing me over a claim of dishonesty.

My efforts to clear my name only led to further lies by the department, and a media only interested in sensationalizing the story for more clicks and views than in telling the actual truth.

Now after almost 17 years, an unethical and immoral cop has put my name back on the internet by mentioning me in his lawsuit. After numerous unsuccessful requests for media websites to either remove the false stories or research and print the truth, I made the decision to create this website to share the story about what really happened.

Below you will find a narrative of the incident, to see how I was wronged, the corruption within the department, and the toll it has taken on myself, my family and my career. I know it's a long read but I hope you will take the time, so my story can finally be told. For the skeptics, who are still unsure, I encourage you to check the actual court documents, which corroborate my statements here.

Before the Rumor

I had been a police officer for 12 years prior to the rumor being spread. I had an exemplary career, and moved up quickly, getting promoted to detective and being asked to work as an acting sergeant. I had an impeccable reputation and was awarded the City of Folsom's Officer of the Year in 2006. Unfortunately, along the way I would see firsthand the massive corruption and immorality among others, going all the way to the top of the department. I believe my refusal to condone those actions and not be part of their culture, put a target on my back, and ultimately led to my dismissal.

Anyone who remembers 2008 and 2009 is aware of the great recession. It was a very uncertain time, with lots of people getting laid off from their jobs. The police department was not immune to those layoffs, and a recommendation was made by the city to lay off five officers. Ironically four officers, including myself, were fired and one other resigned in lieu of termination.

The Rumor and Investigation

In the late summer of 2008, a rumor started circulating around the department alleging misconduct by a member of our detective team and allegations that we were covering for him. There were multiple versions of the rumor, from our unit conducting a sting and acting inappropriately with college aged women and letting them go, to a very specific allegation, naming a specific officer.

The specific version of the rumor alleged that one of our detectives, Homer Limon, had gone too far during a prostitution sting at Chico State and had sex with a prostitute. In order to rectify the misconduct, our team released her without arrest.

Our assigned supervisor returned from his extended medical leave shortly after the rumor started. He met with all of us in our office and simply asked one question, was there any truth to the rumor about our team. We all said no and believed that it was done. After the meeting I went back and talked to the sergeant and advised him of an operation that we conducted that had some of the same elements to the rumor, however, no sexual misconduct occurred and it was not in Chico. I was the acting supervisor at the time and detective Limon was assigned as the undercover officer. The operation did not go as it was supposed to, with detective Limon improvising and changing the plan. The team was upset with Limon and as the acting supervisor I counseled him and felt that was the end.

A few days after the meeting, I and two other detectives were placed on leave and advised the administration felt an investigation into the rumor was needed. Ironically, the specific detective in which the rumor was about, was not placed on leave.

The Investigation

I should have known there was something off as soon as I heard our investigation was not being investigated by the department's Internal Affairs investigator, but by a lieutenant personally picked by the chief of police. I was interviewed by him four different times and was truthful with each and every question asked. During the investigation I talked about any investigation that might have had a nexus to the rumor.

I informed them that we did conduct a prostitution investigation, however it was in Folsom, and no one had sex with a prostitute. I advised that the arrested woman was vetted by the District Attorney's Office as an informant and introduced to detectives with another Sacramento law enforcement agency, because she had information on the murder of a peace officer.

The circumstances leading to her arrest were not good, as the officer assigned as the "undercover," made a mess of the operation. I advised that as the acting supervisor I had to tell him that his actions were extremely dangerous to himself and to our team. It was a difficult situation as I would soon be going back to the team as an equal, and even as unsafe as his conduct was, I did not feel as though there was anything to report related to willful misconduct.

I advised the detective was to meet the person soliciting services in a public place and was to ask her to come down the street to a Mini Mart. The detective changed the plan without telling anyone, left the Mini Mart, drove to the target's house, and then went inside her house. Going inside an unknown location, undercover, and with no partner, is probably one of the most unsafe things an officer can do. Our team immediately pivoted, and with only three officers had to make entry and clear the house. Once inside we found our other detective laying on a bed with the woman.

I don't think he appreciated being called out and counseled on everything he did wrong during the operation. I believe he then started talking about the operation to other members of the department, seeking validation that he did not do anything wrong. It is my belief that this is how the rumor was formed and passed around the department.

One of the other investigations I advised the investigating lieutenant on, involved a narcotics investigation I had been wanting to conduct on a college aged man, who was selling cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana to high school kids. The dealer was supposedly growing and operating out of a house in Orland, which is just east of Chico. I and one other detective, Brian U., traveled to the area to do some research on his residence and try to obtain intelligence helpful to the investigation. Only the two of us had gone, because one detective was on vacation and the other was at training. An intel gathering operation was entirely appropriate since we only had two detectives available.

Unfortunately, this information was then used against us. We were advised that when the sergeant returned and asked us about the rumor, we should have offered to him that we had been close to Chico for this operation. If the sergeant had asked, we definitely would have told him, however he only asked us if there was any validity to the rumor and nothing else.

The administration believed that even though I was the acting sergeant and was responsible for our case management, I should not have authorized us to go two hours out of the city for an investigation. In a hail mary effort to find something to fire us for, they supported that by not offering this information during the meeting with the sergeant about the rumor, we were being evasive and considered it a form of dishonesty.

Anyone who knows anything about being a police officer, knows a sustained allegation of dishonesty is the kiss of death to your career. A peace officer found guilty of lying would not be credible in court and any arrest would have a cloud of doubt to their veracity and honesty. It would also almost certainly guarantee you never worked as a peace officer again for another department.

I did not take this lightly and felt we were being unfairly fired, so we tried to fight back. Unfortunately, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and the administration eventually won and took delight in destroying our reputations in retaliation for filing a law suit.

Fighting Back With A Lawsuit

After getting the devastating news that we were being fired, we sought the counsel of our police officer's union and the legal representation union membership provided to us. Upon reviewing the investigation, the legal counsel saw that the testimony of the sergeant was that he called a meeting and asked us a series of six or seven questions, one of which was if we had been to Chico for any reason. This was a blatant lie, and all four detectives in our individual interviews concurred and corroborated that the sergeant only asked if there was any truth to the rumor. That didn't matter, it was the department's position that the testimony of a sergeant carried more weight than that of a detective.

The department even tried to enhance their case by describing the interaction with the sergeant as a preliminary investigation. However, by calling his question a preliminary investigation, and implying a series of investigative questions were asked, it would be a violation of the Peace Officer Bill of Rights (POBR). The POBR affords officers being questioned certain provisions, such as the ability to record the interview so that an accurate account of the interview is captured. If a recording would have been taken, there would have been no dispute as to what the sergeant asked.

Upon advice of the union and legal counsel, I was encouraged to file a lawsuit if the department wanted to maintain that we were dishonest in this preliminary investigation. I was excited when our lawyer called me to let me know the Sacramento Bee had contacted him regarding my lawsuit. I thought finally, the corruption they displayed through the course of this investigation would come forward. However, my excitement for vindication was short lived, when the article came out and the writer completely cherry-picked portions and statements of the lawsuit, drafting the article to make me look like a corrupt cop who had actually engaged in the conduct of the rumor and was upset that I was fired. Other media outlets then latched onto the false reporting and narrative, trying to one up the Bee article so their story got more views. These outlets never even bothered to fact check the Bee's reporting or contact me for a statement. This reckless reporting and characterization have haunted me and the other officer to this day, 17 years later.

Even though the department and administration had been dishonest throughout the investigation, I thought surely, they will tell the truth in their statements to the press. I was confident they would not want the department's name to be falsely tarnished. Nope. In fact, they added to the drama and released a picture of me and the other officer. A picture I was forced to take with threat of punitive action. The press had told them the story would get more views if they could get pictures of us. One of the Public Information Officers later told me they could not condone this conduct and refused to provide a statement and be a part of the press release, walking out of the meeting. Eventually, the backup PIO was forced to provide the department's statement.

The case went to court and the lies only continued in that the outside law firm hired by the city now changed the narrative and instead of calling the meeting with the sergeant a preliminary investigation, it was now being called an "informal inquiry." They also changed his testimony from the internal affairs interview and were now claiming he only asked one question. It was unbelievable that I was fighting for my job because of being accused of dishonesty, and they were blatantly changing their story and telling lies to justify their actions and to defend themselves from the lawsuit.

Ultimately the lawsuit was futile, and the judge ruled that he was not sure if the now one question rose to the level of a POBR violation, and a decision made on this case could ultimately be used as a precedential case law for other POBR cases. I don't think he wanted that kind of pressure on him. The easiest call was to pretty much not make one at all.

And what ended up being just as bad, was once the truth came out in the lawsuit transcripts, none of the media outlets ever came back to clear up their inaccurate reporting and characterization of us as rogue cops conducting a sting on college girls. I am sure what little credibility the media still had, would all but vanish when having to report that what they initially reported on, was a lie and never actually occurred. Fortunately, the lawyer hired by the city documented in the department's reply to the lawsuit, that the original rumor never happened and that I was not fired for inappropriate behavior. The picture above is the actual filing in the lawsuit and can be verified through the Sacramento County Court.

→

→

→

→

Trying to Make Sense of It

Knowing the finality of losing my job was devastating. I had always thought that at some point, an ethical, honest person with the decision to change this outcome would hear my side and help me out. That help never came.

Many "friends," and "brothers in blue," quickly distanced themselves from me and forgot about all the times I had their backs. There were dark days. Very dark days. I was selfish and allowed my own pity, depression and anger to entertain thoughts of self-harm. Thankfully my family was there for me, and I came to a realization, as a man of faith, with a belief in God, that sometimes what I want is not always the best thing for me. The law enforcement world I was living in at the Folsom Police Department was the epitome of immoral and unethical behavior, and without a shove from God to get me out, it may have eventually consumed me as well.

Life has not been easy with this perpetual stigma and never-ending record on the internet. Would the new people I meet, the parents of the kids that I coached, the potential supervisor of the promotion I'm going for, Google my name and immediately think the worst. I am confident that I have been passed over for promotions in my new career because of the baggage the internet has dumped on me. I still suffer every day from PTSD and anxiety that someone is going to judge me on the internet lies.

I hope that whoever takes the time to read my story will agree with those that actually know me, that there was no truth to the reckless story the media tried to create. I appreciate those who have and those who will support me and would love to answer any questions anyone might still have.

My Family

I was not the only one who was damaged by this and really, my family took the biggest hits. I thank God all the time for bringing my wife into my life. I can honestly say without her wisdom, strength and support, I may not be here today.

The reckless reporting of the media put her in a horrible situation of having to defend me and trying to convince those who thought, "if the media said it, or if it's on the internet, it must be true." The anxiety this also created for her in friend groups, her volunteering roles, and her jobs was so unfair. We had finally thought these lies were done and now the media once again throws untrue allegations out on the web, and once again the anxiety rises.

The hate inside me built again when my kids were asked in school to do research on their family. A Google search by my son, led to me having to explain that his dad's really a good guy and that what was printed about him and his friend was absolutely not true. I had to explain that freedom of speech is an important part of our constitution, however, it also applies to immoral reporters who can print whatever they want.

The emotional and financial devastation on my family by the Folsom Police Department will never be fully realized. They definitely robbed my family of many years of me not being there emotionally and not being able to provide for them the life they deserved. Although, getting my story out now, will never replace the experiences they have missed out on, it may in some way ease the future anxiety they feel about the lies that continue to live on through the internet about me.

More to Come

In Progress

In progess

In Progress

In progress.