Deputy Caught in Drug Sting Gets Jail Time

A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy who stole methamphetamine from crime scenes to feed his drug habit and was caught in a sting set up by his own agency was sentenced Thursday to one year in county jail and four years’ probation.

Before sentencing, James J. Reynolds, 33, told Superior Court Judge Helios J. Hernandez that he had changed his life after his arrest. His attorney said Reynolds had entered a drug rehabilitation program and was the center’s “graduate of the year.”

Prosecutor Angel Bermudez was seeking a two-year prison sentence. In his recommendation to the judge, Bermudez said he had little pity for Reynolds’ battle with drugs since, as a police officer, he knew of the danger and made no effort to quit until he was caught.

“This is the worst violation a peace officer can engage in, tampering with evidence,” Bermudez said. Reynolds, a seven-year deputy based in the Jurupa Valley station, pleaded guilty March 22 to 12 counts of stealing evidence and using methamphetamine and marijuana while on duty. Sheriff Bob Doyle said Reynolds had been fired.

Last July, during a sting arranged by the Sheriff’s Department, Reynolds stole 6.6 grams of meth from a staged crime scene inside a Rubidoux motel room. Investigators found the meth and more than 20 grams of marijuana in his car.

The sting came after a fellow deputy saw Reynolds mishandle 1.05 grams of meth seized at a crime scene in June 2003. Reynolds was reluctant to return the drugs despite the deputy’s demands, court records show.

Reynolds also allegedly suggested to the deputy that they split between them the $1,400 that was found inside the motel room.

A month earlier, according to documents, Reynolds told a fellow deputy he needed a “pinch” of meth from the deputy’s locker, authorities said. The next day, 1.5 ounces of meth was missing from the locker, according to investigators.

“Every time he committed a crime, he was in uniform, wearing a badge,” Bermudez said. “He completely disregarded what he was charged to do.”

Reynolds appealed to the judge for leniency. His attorney, Steve Harmon, said that Reynolds displayed his remorse by pleading guilty before his preliminary hearing: “He could’ve fought these charges and dragged this case out for more than a year. He chose not to quibble, but to accept responsibility.”

But Bermudez said that the case against Reynolds was overwhelming and that pleading guilty was his best alternative.

“That’s not integrity,” Bermudez said. “That’s admitting you have no viable defense.”