California IN BRIEF : VENTURA : Police Sergeant Is Charged in Incident

A Ventura police sergeant accused of removing a traffic accident report involving his son from department records was charged with misappropriating a government document. County prosecutors filed the charge against Sgt. Perry Michael Goth in Municipal Court after a two-month investigation. The veteran officer has been placed on paid administrative leave, said department spokesman Lt. Don Arth. He would not elaborate on the matter, nor would the Ventura County district attorney’s office. According to a police report filed in court, Goth is accused of removing a report of a non-injury accident--in which his teen-age son was at fault--from a file that was to be sent to the state Department of Motor Vehicles. Goth could not be reached for comment. His lawyer, Paul Goyette, declined to comment, other than to say: “Sgt. Goth is very concerned over the situation.” If found guilty, Goth could face up to a year in jail.