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A Pleasanton man and former police officer has been arrested and police are searching for his wife in a scam that involved taking advantage of an 82-year-old Pleasanton resident.
Matthew Messier, 36, was arrested Friday on charges of grand theft, three counts of attempted grand theft, four counts of elder abuse, one count of forgery, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of registering a fraudulent document and a count of practicing law without a license.
Police say Messier, a former police commander with the Pinole Police Department, used his position of authority to gain the trust of the victim, who put his entire estate under the control of the pair.
Messier was arrested at his home this morning and booked into Santa Rita Jail. Messier’s wife, Elizabeth Regalado, has not been taken into custody, and police are hoping for help in locating her. Anyone with information is asked to call the Pleasanton Police Department at 931-5100.
Police describe Messier’s arrest as the culmination of a months-long investigation that began with a report by Alameda County Adult Protective Services. A complaint was filed by the Alameda County District Attorney’s office and two warrants were obtained for Messier and Regalado’s arrest.
One wonders how he became a former police officer.
Mike
I’m surprised there aren’t any post yet about how this shows that every police officer in the country is overpaid and corrupt and they should all be fired and replaced. C’mon people you are out there, you are slacking in the holiday season.
I’ll take the bait Me Too. Did you see the other story from this week about the SF cop that robbed a bank?
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/san_francisco&id=8888446
These are just the ones that got caught being bad.
@mitch. It was a sf sheriffs deputy, not police officer. 2 different departments. It goes to show you that no matter who you are, what profession, you are always capable of breaking the law. The Petraus scandel, the previous NY govenor scandal, the wall street elite. Whether it is greed or to just get by, they choose to break the law. But then even lying on your income tax or speeding is breaking the law. Where do we draw the line?
Police seem to be more corrupt than most, and yes they are very overpaid, don’t have to save for retirement, and we all pay for it. not to mention how many go out on disability that is fraudulent.
It’s very simple Nancy. We don’t “draw the line”. We can create or remove laws, but selective enforcement doesn’t help anyone.
If we don’t need a tax law, get rid of it. If we should go faster on a road, increase the limit.
By the way, there are lots of videos of police abuse on You Tube. Some are obviously just haters, but others will make your blood boil and give you a different impression of police. Although I have a friend who’s a CHP and several cops in my extended family, I don’t trust any cop. They’re never concerned with making sure the law is upheld, only with “controlling” a situation.
That’s not to say that cops are not nice guys, or you shouldn’t cooperate with them. It’s just that they’re in a tough job, and the best way to stay alive and protect the most people is to control the situation, and not worry about the laws being broken.