The news is out: [An Orange County sheriff’s deputy has been charged with filing a false police report after prosecutors said she took a credit card from a suspect and gave it to her son, who then used the card to make purchases.
Angelina Cortez, 41, faces the felony charge in connection with a Nov. 19, 2018, incident in which she and her training officer responded to a 911 call about a man stealing wine and batteries from a San Clemente 7-Eleven store.
Cortez is accused of taking the suspected thief’s credit card, putting it in her uniform shirt pocket and later giving it to her son, who then used it. The card was never booked into evidence, prosecutors allege.
“The public has an absolute expectation that their law enforcement officers will carry out their duties lawfully,” said Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer, a former Los Angeles police reserve officer.
“When laws are broken by the very people who are sworn to uphold them, the public trust is eroded, and society as a whole suffers. The entire criminal justice system relies on the trust that those sworn to uphold the law are following it themselves.”]
That’s what they do. Please note that the man “stole” wine and batteries while the cop “took” the credit card.