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Former Fullerton police sergeant charged with filing false report on then-city manager’s DUI crash

by in News

SANTA ANA — A former Fullerton police sergeant was charged Tuesday with a single count of filing a false police report stemming from a 2016 drunken driving traffic crash involving then-Fullerton City Manager Joe Felz.

Fullerton City Manager Joe Felz in 2011

Rodger Jeffrey Corbett, 45, of Corona, allegedly falsely filed a report stating that Felz was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the Nov. 9, 2016, crash and gave Felz a ride home. A year later, Felz pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor “wet reckless” charge — reckless driving involving alcohol — and was sentenced to three years probation and 40 hours of community service.

Orange County prosecutors contend that Corbett was called to the scene of the crash — in which Felz drove over a curb and slammed into a tree, then tried to drive away from the scene. Corbett allegedly performed only a “cursory examination” of Felz, gave him a ride home and later wrote a report saying Felz was not under the influence.

When Felz pleaded guilty to the “wet reckless” charge, prosecutors noted that police who responded to the scene failed to perform a full battery of field sobriety tests and did not check Felz’s blood-alcohol level with a Breathalyzer or from a blood draw. He retired as city manager in December 2016.

Corbett is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 18 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. He faces up to three years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.

According to the city, Corbett “has not been employed with the Fullerton Police Department” since March 8, 2018. It was unclear if he was fired or if he left voluntarily.

“The Fullerton Police Department recognizes public trust is at the core of what they do, and the actions that form the basis of the district attorney’s criminal charges are not tolerated,” according to a statement from the city. “As this is still a personnel and, now criminal, matter, the city is not able to comment further.”