According to the San Francisco Chronicle, court documents have revealed that a Contra Costa County sheriff’s deputy told two colleagues he was making “dirty DUI” arrests on behalf of a private investigator who was setting up men for a California DUI in order to damage their reputations in legal disputes, largely divorces and custody battles.
Deputy Stephen Tanabe, 47, told a reserve sheriff’s deputy on patrol with him the night of January 14 that a DUI arrest they were making outside a Danville bar was a “setup” and that the arrestee was being intentionally “dirtied” for a future court date in a divorce case.
According to an affidavit, Tanabe was working with a private investigator who had been hired by the target’s wife for $5,000. The deputy is suspected of receiving “financial benefits” for the DUI arrest, the document said.
Tanabe, an Alamo resident, was arrested Friday night on suspicion of drug and weapons crimes but has not been charged. He is free on $260,000 bail.
If you or someone you know has been arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence in California, contact our California DUI attorneys today.
(888) 444-7210