By David M. Greenwald
Former Davis Police Officer Trevor Edens was arraigned on Wednesday, appearing via Zoom at Yolo Superior Court. The case is being prosecuted by Solano County Deputy DA Paul Sequeira because the Yolo County DA has recused himself.
Edens faces a single allegation of PC section 424.
Julia Fox, private counsel representing Edens, said that her client “is prepared to enter a time waiver.”
Judge Peter Williams set the matter for preliminary hearing in Judge Tim Fall’s court for December 14.
Edens remains released on his own recognizance pending the next hearing.
Judge Williams noted that he was “cited out in the first place” and “given a letter to appear by the court” rather than arrested and booked in the county jail. “I’m going to have him continue out on OR,” the judge said.
Because he was issued a letter to appear, the judge said he will have to go to the county jail and get proof of booking between now and the preliminary hearing.
Former Davis Police Officer Faces Embezzlement Charges
By David M. Greenwald
Former Davis Police Sergeant Trevor Edens is facing felony embezzlement charges, the Vanguard learned this week. While the criminal complaint is unavailable, his arraignment is set for October 14, 2020.
Details are scant at the moment, and, given the nature of the charges and whom they are against, the police at this time cannot give a lot of details. Edens resigned from the Davis Police Department on June 7, 2019.
Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel told the Vanguard that, in late 2018, several officers under the supervisor of Edens reported that he had possibly engaged in work-related misconduct.
At that point, he was placed on administrative leave, pending a full investigation.
Administrators conducted what they considered “a standard check of Department equipment and items under the control of Edens.”
They found an anomaly that was unrelated to the original allegation.
According to Pytel, due to the nature of the anomaly, which stemmed from an event that had occurred only hours before he was placed on leave, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office was immediately contacted.
Chief Pytel, at this point, requested a full, independent criminal investigation by an outside law enforcement agency.
The request was immediately granted and investigators from the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office and an administrator from the Davis Police Department conducted parallel administrative and criminal investigations into the matters.
The Yolo County DA’s Office, upon completion of their initial investigation, asked the Solano County District Attorney’s Office to review the case and handle the prosecution should they determine charges should be filed.
The Solano County DA’s Office last month filed charges in Yolo County.
“The conduct and actions of Edens were inexcusable and entirely incompatible with being a police officer and supervisor,” said Chief Pytel. “Without question, his departure had to happen,” he added.
“Despite Edens’ breach of public trust and duty, I was very pleased that the officers under his supervision took active steps to report potential misconduct and to completely cooperate with investigators,” said Chief Pytel. “This is exactly what we expect from our personnel and what we demand as a professional law enforcement agency,” he added.
Trevor Edens had an interesting tenure with the police department. In early 2008, he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident, in which his personal motorcycle collided with a vehicle at a Roseville intersection. Edens was off duty at the time.
He lost the lower half of his left leg as a result, leading to an outpouring of community support and efforts by other departments to raise funds for him and his family.
But he was able to resume his duties with the Davis Police, reaching the rank of sergeant. From time to time, he would, however, pop up on numerous complaints about police misconduct to the Vanguard.
Arraignment is set for October 14 at the Yolo County Courthouse.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
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Will we find out later what the nature of the violation was?
BTW, tonight at CC Zoom, Surveillance Technology Annual Reauthorization including:
Police Body-Worn and In-Car Cameras
Care Trak System
Cellebrite Universal Forensic Extraction Device
Covert Personal Recording Device
Crisis Negotiations Equipment
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robot
GeoTime Computer System
GPS Trackers
Automated License Plate Readers
Remote Public Safety Cameras
Trail Cameras
1818 Fifth Street Corporation Yard Security Cameras (non-Police)
Wildlife Trail Cameras (non-Police)
Wildlife Video Cameras (non-Police)
Public Works Cameras (non-Police)
Davis Community Transit Cameras (non-Police)
Why am thinking of Alan Funt? “Smile, you’re on…” [Can still ‘hear’ the music…]
I was told once he’s arraigned, they will be able to release more details. Not sure why they are holding their cards so close, but it is what it is.
No one died, David… no one was physically injured… no one was ‘threatened’… ‘playing close to the vest’ protects jury pool integrity, the officer’s right to be presumed innocent, etc.
Or, do you believe all Police (or, civilians) should be tried in the ‘court of public opinion’? That police officers should be ‘presumed guilty’ in court? Many of the criminal cases charged for ‘civilians’, you seem to demand less info… reminds me of a shark ‘smelling’ blood… for purposes I don’t want to imagine…
More info, at this point, would be prejudicial… was frankly (although I’m not) surprised how many ‘cards were shown’… if I was the defense attorney, I’d ask each prospective juror, “did you read the account and comments in the VG posted on Sept 22?”… a potential ‘gimme’ as to disqualifying a juror ‘for cause’…
“several officers under the supervisor of Edens reported that he had possibly engaged in work-related misconduct.”
From a broader perspective than this single case, this was the most important sentence in the article for me. I agree with Chief Pytel that it is critical for police officers, witnessing what they believe to be violations of the law by fellow officers, to speak out. It is a shame that there is a history of maintaining that “thin blue line” even in the face of known or suspected wrongdoing.
” if I was the defense attorney, I’d ask each prospective juror, “did you read the account and comments in the VG posted on Sept 22?”… a potential ‘gimme’ as to disqualifying a juror ‘for cause’…”
Without shameless self promotion there would be no self promotion at all.
A defense attorney might ask if you have read ANY media reports.
We have seen a Vanguard question at times in juror questionnaires.
There is another reason why the police leadership is playing this card close to the vest.
Unlike other criminal charges that become a media event, this intriguing case has the probability of the police management team being subpoenaed, not by the prosecuter, but the defense.
All public comments by any DPD representative are carefully examined by counsel’s defense. The sole purpose is to find even a twinkle of unlawful bias towards the defendant that would color the judgment of the police investigation process. “They were out to get me . . .”
Meanwhile, those who already have a full measure of bias against the local police (based on events, real and contrived) are allowed by First Amendment protection to publicly speculate the police are “hiding information,” “they always lie,” et. cetera.
Often, a one-sided presentation can look a wee bit different when seen from another perspective.
I’m Trevor edens soon to be ex wife and I thought Trevor was the most honorable, sweet perfect man for 28 years. Come to find out he is a narcissist and has been lying for years about a number of things. He has left me with nothing no family, home, money and lies constantly in court when we go for court trials for our divorce. He has not paid child support or alimony or any court ordered bills he was supposed to pay. He is very manipulative and can talk up a storm about how great of a man he is because he was in the army and served his country and was a police officer. The things he has done to my family and the lies he has told everyone about me and to me and our kids and to the court, prove otherwise. He has been truly evil the past almost 2 years since his affairs and this investigation of other things came out and him moving in with his girlfriend he met in a search warrant and sent her boyfriend to jail on. I supported him his whole life through his military life, him going through the academy, having seizures where I had to drive him to work and take care of him and our kids and even after his accident when he lost his leg. I had to basically be his home nurse and take care of him and our family.