Orange corrections officers disciplined

Six Orange County Corrections Department officers have been disciplined after a months-long investigation revealed email misuse and improper relationships between supervisors and subordinates, records show.

The investigation into Lt. Robert Hyden, Sgt. Roberto Toyens, Officer Christine Fallon, Cpl. Gavin Lugo, Cpl. Vanessa Velasquez and Cpl. Edna Simon began in May 2017, after the Corrections Department Internal Affairs Unit received an anonymous letter alleging inappropriate behavior within the group.

The letter accused officers of showing favoritism, sleeping on the job and making offensive remarks about gay staffers. Not every accusation in the letter could be corroborated.

Eight officers were implicated in the probe, but only six were disciplined after the investigation was completed in November. Punishments ranged from demotions to letters of reprimand.

Hyden, the most senior of those disciplined, was found to have had an inappropriate relationship with Fallon, a subordinate. The two both denied having a physical relationship. He also was found to have given Fallon a $7,000 loan for a surgery Fallon needed, according to the probe.

Hyden’s wife, another corrections officer, found out about the loan after she received a call from someone claiming to see him hand Fallon money, an internal affairs report states. Hyden’s wife and Fallon also clashed at work, according to the investigation.

Investigators also found that he had pictures on his county-issued cellphone in which other officers referred to themselves as “Hyden’s Honeys.”

He told investigators that he didn’t report the relationship because he didn’t believe it was intimate. He was demoted and reassigned to another unit. Fallon was suspended for five days without pay.

The probe found that Lugo had sent an email saying “How am I going to kiss you?” to a subordinate via his county email address.

After investigators told him that his emails were public record, he reportedly said he was “lucky that channel 9 had not pulled his email,” according to documents released after the investigation.

He told investigators that in hindsight, the emails were inappropriate and he should not have sent them. He was suspended without pay for one day.

Toyens was found to have sent an email to a Simon, a subordinate, complimenting her “banging body,” the report said. He told investigators that he considered Simon a casual friend. Both were given a letter of reprimand.

Velazquez also was given a letter of reprimand after the investigation found that she had shared her Orange County work password with another officer.

The Orange County Corrections Department said it employs more than 1,700 people — 1,100 of whom are certified officers.