Judge resets hearing in CHP case
A Solano County Superior Court judge again reset the preliminary hearing date for two former California Highway Patrol employees, one of them a veteran officer of 12 years, and another man, in a felony embezzlement and theft case that stretched over 18 months from late 2016 to mid-2018.
Former officer Todd Curtis Smith and former auto technician Nicholas Ryan Bonachea were scheduled to appear Monday for the hearing in Department 1 in the Justice Center in Fairfield.
In another delay over the past several months, however, Judge Jeffrey C. Kauffman vacated the hearing and rescheduled it for 1:30 p.m. April 19.
Court records indicate that Smith, 49, was arrested Nov. 30, 2018, by a fellow officer at the CHP division offices on Benicia Road in Vallejo. Shortly after being booked into Solano County Jail, he posted $35,000 bail on the charge, felony embezzlement/grand theft exceeding $950.
Bonachea, 40, also was arrested the same day on suspicion of felony embezzlement exceeding $950. After being booked into jail, he posted a $35,000 bond on Dec. 4.
A third suspect in the case, Thomas Jerome Carpenter, 51, also was arrested on Nov. 30 on charges of receiving stolen property, auto parts, among other things. After being booked into jail, he also posted a $35,000 bond on Dec. 4.
They were arraigned on the charges Dec. 31 in Department 17 in the Hall of Justice in Fairfield. Each pleaded not guilty.
In the ensuing months, however, Carpenter pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Aug. 17 this year, but publicly available court records do not indicate what punishment Kauffman imposed but he is on probation. Before he pleaded, Carpenter faced the possibility of a maximum of five years in prison, plus fines.
Carpenter was originally charged with receiving stolen property exceeding $950 (auto parts, a hand controller, and a CHP medical bag), and his probation term was transferred to his county of residence. Court records did not show where he would serve out his probation.
If convicted, Smith, who was last assigned to the CHP’s Traffic Management Center in Oakland, faces up to three years in jail. He is represented by defense attorney Daniel Russo of Vallejo.
At initial arraignment, Bonachea was represented by defense attorney Vincent Maher of Fairfield. Likewise, if convicted at trial, Bonachea face the possibility of a maximum threeyear prison sentence, plus fines.
In a complaint filed more than two years ago by the Solano County District Attorney, prosecutors say Smith and Bonachea allegedly committed the crimes between Dec. 6, 2016, and June 13, 2018. Carpenter was charged with two counts of receiving stolen property.
Items listed stolen include a computer touchscreen, reflective rain jackets with CHP patches, CHP decals, and a CHP cruiser exterior public address system.