(and no one is surprised to learn that) 3 Sheriff's Deputies and a tow truck company owner were busted for bribes, running a scam, collusion, conspiracy, unlawful use of a government computer network, and fraud

According to previous Patch reporting, the brief, Carpenter had been assigned to the Temecula Sheriff's station's Traffic Bureau "years" before Flores and Christolon arrived, and he had developed a reputation for "devoting his time on duty to impounding parked vehicles, as well as for failing to properly enter those impounds into the sheriff's computer system, or complete the paperwork needed to let the vehicle owners know where their vehicles had been towed."

When he came under the supervision of Flores, who became Traffic Bureau director in September 2017, and Christolon, who was the Sheiff's lieutenant's right-hand man, the conspiracy began to take shape.

Court papers said Flores and Close, owner of TJ's Towing in Temecula, developed a relationship after the lieutenant received a favor from his co-defendant in acquiring a classic International pickup truck in early 2018. Soon after, there were lunches and dinners between the men.

Prosecutors said Carpenter was abruptly granted permission to add his name to overtime shifts at the Traffic Bureau whenever he pleased.

"Flores personally informed Carpenter of when overtime was available," the brief said.

The Sheriff's deputy began claiming so many OT shifts "that other deputies started to complain and even scribble over his name on the sign-in sheets," according to the brief.

When the aggrieved deputies took their complaints to Christolon, "he never did anything in response," documents stated.

Prosecutors said Carpenter aggressively sought out street-parked vehicles to impound for little or no reason, and TJ's Towing received virtually all of his calls for service. This occurred even though TJ's Towing wasn't always the company on the sheriff's "rotation list," which is maintained to ensure impound business is equitably distributed, on a weekly basis, to multiple companies, according to the prosecution.

"Towing for the sheriff's department is a lucrative business," the brief said, outlining how there's not only a charge for the tow, but a base charge for the impound and then daily storage fees imposed on owners.

DJ's Towing received dozens of impound calls from Carpenter, and Flores "personally approved" the deputy's OT requests, the brief said.

The lieutenant "exchanged hundreds of text messages" with Close, occasionally telling him, "make that money, homie," the narrative stated.

There was an arrangement for the then-lawman to receive a free stay at Close's mother's $4 million Oceanside home by the sea, which she periodically rented out.

Flores also received free towing services for his personal vehicles, complimentary tickets for him and his family to the Temecula Balloon & Wine Festival, limousine rides and other gratuities, according to the brief.

https://patch.com/california/murrieta/temecula-tow-truck-company-owner-former-cops-sentenced-bribery-case

What? Another corrupt California Sheriff's dept? No! I'm aghast! It can't be! It's unheard of! 

JFCA, is it just another day of the week ending in y? Are there any honest cops? Or just none that raise the flag and get the corrupt ones arrested? Do they EVEN HAVE an internal affairs dept? or are they on the getting paid to look the other way while everyone gets rich and gets kick backs?

Who was it who first said Fuck the Police? They nailed it. Truth to power