Overview
- Prosecutors charged Jose Antonio Garcia, 38, with one felony count of misappropriation of public funds, one felony count of grand theft by embezzlement, and two misdemeanor counts of petty theft.
- The case centers on three traffic stops in Sept. 2024, Nov. 2024, and Feb. 2025 in which about $600, $100, and $300 were allegedly taken from motorists.
- Garcia was arrested and released on a promise to appear for arraignment at the West Covina Courthouse.
- The West Covina Police Department placed Garcia on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
- If convicted on all counts, he faces up to four years in state prison plus an additional one-year jail term, and the DA and police chief publicly condemned the alleged conduct as a breach of public trust.