OC sheriff’s deputy pleads guilty to filing false police report

An Orange County sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty Friday to filing a false police report and immediately sentenced to 120 hours of community service.

Chad Matthew Renegar, 30, who worked in Rancho Santa Margarita as a field training officer, responded to a call of a stolen license plate on May 16, 2019, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

The woman told Renegar and a deputy he was training the license plate was stolen in Santa Monica, so he had her sign a California Highway Patrol form to report the stolen plate, prosecutors said.

When a sergeant later rejected the report because it was not within Orange County’s jurisdiction, Renegar told the trainee to alter the report to indicate the plate was stolen in Rancho Santa Margarita, prosecutors said.

When the trainee wouldn’t do it, Renegar wrote the report under her name and changed the crime scene to Rancho Santa Margarita and forged the victim’s name, prosecutors said.

Renegar pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of willful omission to perform official duty, according to court records. As part of the plea deal, one count each of filing a false report and perjury, both felonies, were dismissed.

Renegar was also placed on one year of informal probation.

The eight-year veteran of the department was placed on administrative leave when he was charged earlier this year.

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