OFF THE WIRE
http://blog.ton-espace.com/battleshipenterprise/2010/10/16/cop-arrested-for-sharing-dmv-information-with-hells-angel
SANTA CLARA, CA (KGO) -- Harsh criticism is coming out of the Santa
Clara police chief after one of his officers was arrested on a felony
charge of conspiracy.
Officer Clay H. Rojas, 36, is accused of giving confidential
information to 38-year-old William Bettencourt - who is a member of
the Hells Angels. Police found that Rojas accessed records from the
Department of Motor Vehicles.
The chief shared his shock about one of his own officers going astray,
but he believes this was an isolated incident. This is a five-year
officer who was doing well in the department as part of a special
enforcement team investigating felony violations. Now he's become the
focus of criminal misconduct.
"It's a difficult day for our department, for the members of our
department. It's a difficult day for our profession," said Santa Clara
Police Chief Stephen Lodge.
Lodge says he and the entire department are appalled at the misconduct
of one of their own officers and his relationship with a member of the
Hells Angels biker gang.
"We learned that he had passed along some confidential information
that he had accessed through some computers at the police department,"
said Lodge.
Santa Clara police arrested the veteran officer Thursday for felony
conspiracy to commit a crime. Rojas is accused of giving private DMV
data on an undisclosed number of individuals to Bettencourt, a Live
Oak resident and member of the Hells Angels' Santa Cruz chapter. It's
still unclear why.
"What was his motive? What was his true relationship between himself
and William Bettencourt?" asked Lodge.
Bettencourt then passed that information to a San Jose woman -
31-year-old Vivian Rodgriguez - who has also been arrested for felony
conspiracy. Chief Lodge says all police officers know that accessing
the DMV database for info, like an address or date of birth, is for
law enforcement purposes only.
"This as I mentioned is a severe breach of the public trust. Every
police officer knows that, and so what would motivate someone who is
otherwise doing well in the profession to break the law this way,
we're not sure," said Lodge.
The case started unfolding last month after the Santa Cruz County Gang
Task Force arrested Bettencourt on charges including possessing
steroids for sale, gang participation and battery. They also found in
his possession the DMV data which was tracked back to officer Rojas.
"This was a very intensive investigation, and we've concluded, and I'm
convinced, that it's limited to this one employee who made very, very
bad decisions that amounted to criminal conduct," said Lodge.
Rojas is out on $250,000 bail, and is expected to be arraigned Monday.
If convicted, he and Rodriguez face up to three years in prison.
Bettencourt is in jail on no bail. He could get 25 years to life under
the Three Strikes law, because he has previous felony convictions for
assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threat.
