Juan Villa and Luis Hernandez
Tulare Police Chief Jerry
Breckinridge was arrested Sunday at his home on suspicion of domestic violence,
the City of Tulare reported Monday.
The arrest, which was made by
the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department, is a result of a report filed by his
girlfriend after a dispute Saturday night. According to the Tulare County
Sheriff’s Department, the department was contacted by the California Highway
Patrol, the agency that initially received the complaint.
Breckinridge was released on
$50,000 bail. The woman’s name was not released.
On Monday, Tulare City Manager
Don Dorman, asked the sheriff’s department to conduct the investigation into
the allegations against Breckinridge.
“An arrest is nothing more than
an accusation. We’re waiting to see what follows the accusation,” said Dorman,
who is also Breckinridge’s supervisor. “… because it’s an accusation there’s
really no meaning at this point to the City of Tulare other than it’s something
we need to watch and see where it goes. If the case is filed by the sheriff’s
department, the district attorney will review it and at that point decisions
will be made.”
The Tulare County Supervising
District Attorney Anthony Fultz said his office received the case on Monday
afternoon, but no charges have been filed. The DA’s office will review the
report and make a decision on whether to file charges.
The police chief will continue
his regular assigned duties for the City of Tulare, though he did not go to
work Monday.
“[Breckinridge] had a late
night and took [Monday] off,” Dorman said.
In 2009, Breckinridge took the
reins of the police department from Roger Hill, who led the department for 28
years. Breckingridge is a veteran law enforcement officer. He started with the
department in 1989, getting hired as a patrol officer.
The City of Tulare didn’t
consider putting Breckinridge on leave, Dorman said.
“No, because at this point he’s
presumed innocent. Anyone can make any kind of accusation against any of us, so
until something more than an accusation comes, there’s nothing for the city to
do,” he said. “We have not heard from the sheriff’s department that it was
anything that we needed to take action on.” On Monday, Tulare Police Sgt.
Darron Altermatt referred questions about the arrest to city administrators. He
provided no additional information.
The sheriff’s department also
deferred additional question to the Tulare city officials.
City council member Skip
Barwick said he has complete confidence in Dorman’s decision.
It was Breckinridge who informed
Dorman of the arrest.
“He kept me informed to what
was going on,” Dorman said. “It was very professional. He wanted to make sure
the department was taken care of. As his supervisor, he was letting his
supervisor know that things were going on that we might hear about in the
press.”
The city hasn’t spoken to the
sheriff’s department and doesn’t have the facts to know exactly what happened,
Dorman said.
Barwick is also supporting
Brekinridge until the full story is released and added that the city isn’t
taking the accusations lightly, but there’s always two sides to a story.
“I’ve known Jerry for a long
time and he’s a good individual and has been an exceptional police chief. I’m
kind of waiting to see what happens during the investigation period,” Barwick
said. “I have complete confidence in Sheriff (Mike) Boudreaux and I know his
department will leave no stone unturned. Hopefully shortly we’ll get answers on
the case. It’s serious.”