Former Huntington Beach Police Investigator Charged With Stealing Drugs From Attempted Murder Suspect's Vehicle

WESTMINSTER (CBSLA) - A former investigator at the Huntington Beach Police Department charged with stealing drugs from the vehicle of an attempted murder suspect's vehicle was placed in a diversion program for military veterans Thursday.

Working as a crime scene photographer with HBPD on Jan. 23 last year, 53-year-old Sean Patrick Lotts of Huntington Beach allegedly grabbed the drugs from the suspects vehicle and drove home in a police car while under the influence, according to a public information officer with the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Lotts resigned from the department, but was charged with one count each of misdemeanor embezzlement by a public official, seizing property under the color of authority and driving under the influence.

The diversion program for military personnel or veterans allows them to undergo treatment in lieu of jail.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)