Orange County

Ex-Fullerton Police Chief Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor Charges

Both defendants pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace by fighting and agreed to make a $500 donation to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund.

What to Know

  • Former Fullerton police Chief David Hendricks was accused of pushing two EMTs as they attempted to provide treatment.
  • Captain Thomas Oliveras was accused of putting one victim in a headlock.
  • Fullerton officials placed Hendricks on leave afterward and he resigned in November.

Former Fullerton police Chief David Hendricks and one of the captains on the force pleaded guilty Monday to misdemeanor charges stemming from a conflict with emergency medical technicians at a concert in Irvine.

Both defendants pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace by fighting and agreed to make a $500 donation to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund, said defense attorney John Barnett.

Under Hendricks' plea deal with prosecutors, two counts of battery on emergency workers and one count of resisting arrest were dismissed.

For Capt. Thomas Oliveras, single counts of battery on a peace officer and resisting arrest were dismissed by a Newport Beach judge.

Both men can go through a legal process to get the convictions expunged at some point, Barnett said.

Deputy District Attorney Jeff Moore said he is not allowed to comment on the case and directed questions to the office's public relations department.

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The men were off-duty and attending a Lady Antebellum concert in Irvine with their spouses last Aug. 24 when the chief's wife needed medical attention and EMTs responded to assess her condition, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Hendricks was "accused of pushing two EMTs as they attempted to provide treatment" and Oliveras was "accused of putting one victim in a headlock," according to the D.A.'s office.

Irvine police officers were called to the scene and Hendricks and Oliveras were both accused of "obstructing and delaying the investigation," the DA's office said.

Fullerton officials placed Hendricks on leave afterward and he resigned in November. The charges were filed the following month.

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