OC Deputy Charged After Allegedly Failing To Book Evidence

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SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — A deputy with the Orange County Sheriff's Department is facing a felony charge for allegedly failing to book evidence collected at the scene of a crime, prosecutors said Wednesday.

According to prosecutors, 41-year-old Angelina Cortez and a training officer responded Nov. 19, 2018 to a report of a woman stealing wine and batteries from a 7-Eleven store in San Clemente. Cortez then allegedly took the woman's debit card and gave it to her son, who then used it.

Cortez, who is on administrative leave, has been charged with one felony count of filing a false police report in the incident for allegedly failing to include the debit card with the report she filed about the incident.

"This charge is the result of an incident that was identified and investigated by the Orange County Sheriff's Department and then provided to the Orange County District Attorney's Office with the expectation of filing criminal charges," sheriff's spokeswoman Carrie Braun said in a prepared statement. "Deputy Cortez has been on administrative leave since June 2019 awaiting a decision from the Orange County District Attorney's Office. With charges filed, the department will now proceed with an internal administrative investigation."

Cortez is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 18. If convicted as charged, she faces a maximum sentence of three years in state prison, according to the district attorney's office.