SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - Two former Orange County Sheriff’s deputies accused of failing to properly book evidence have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges, prosecutors said Monday.
Joseph Atkinson Jr. and Bryce Simpson entered pleas Friday to willful omission to perform their official duty and were sentenced to a year each of informal probation.
They were among nearly 20 sheriff’s deputies who came under scrutiny after sheriff’s department auditors discovered nearly one-third of evidence collected from February 2016 to February 2018 was booked beyond the agency’s one-day policy.
Some bookings were tardy by more than a month, creating questions about chain of custody.
Four deputies were fired.
The Orange County district attorney’s office and the Sheriff’s Department are searching 22,000 criminal cases “to ensure evidence reported booked by deputies was in fact booked,” according to a statement from the DA’s office.
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