BY IMRAN GHORI
ighori@pe.com
Published: 17 July 2012 06:25 PM

A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge has dismissed charges against a retired sheriff’s lieutenant accused last year of falsifying training records.

The district attorney’s office sought the dismissal against William Maddox, 58, at a Friday, July 13, hearing under a provision of the state penal code that doing so would further the interest of justice, according to court records. Maddox was charged with theft and perjury.

He was one of seven current and former sheriff’s department employees indicted by a grand jury in March 2011. They were accused of taking part in a scheme to boost pay and benefits by falsifying training records and get credits that would earn them additional certificates under the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training program or POST.

Michael Scafiddi, Maddox’s attorney, said he provided information to the district attorney showing that his client followed proper department procedure for the credits he earned and committed no crimes.

Deputy District Attorney Dan Silverman confirmed that additional evidence, including that provided by Scafiddi, led to the decision.

“The information that came to light showed that we would not be able to prove that Bill Maddox had the required criminal intent to convict him of those charges,” he said.

In such circumstances, prosecutors have an ethical and legal obligation to dismiss charges, Silverman said.

Scafiddi praised the district attorney’s office but blasted the Sheriff’s Department for conducting what he called a “sloppy investigation” in which he said Maddox wasn’t even interviewed.

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