Training Officer Filed False Report In Rancho Santa Margarita

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — An Orange County Sheriff's deputy and field training officer was charged with filing a false police report this week.

Chad Matthew Renegar, 30, an eight-year veteran of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, remains on administrative leave after being charged with one count each filing a false report and perjury, both felonies.

In May of 2019, Renegar responded to a call of a stolen license plate, according to a release shared by the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

The woman, a Rancho Santa Margarita resident who called in the stolen plate, told Renegar and a deputy he was training that the license plate was stolen in Santa Monica. He had her sign a California Highway Patrol form to go along with his report, prosecutors said.

When a sergeant later rejected the report because it was not within Orange County's jurisdiction, Renegar directed his trainee to alter the report and indicate the plate was stolen in Rancho Santa Margarita instead of Santa Monica the resident had told them, prosecutors allege.

When the trainee wouldn't do it, Renegar re-wrote the report changing the crime scene to Rancho Santa Margarita and forged the victim's name, prosecutors allege.

Trust between law enforcement and their communities has never been more important, according to Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.

"Maintaining trust and accountability between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to protect has never been more important," Spitzer said. "Dishonesty among the ranks of our law enforcement jeopardizes that trust, and it will not be tolerated."

Renegar is scheduled to be arraigned on March 24 in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.