More than a year ago, Los Angeles police officer Matthew Calleros, 46, of Whitter, California, was arrested on charges ranging from felony theft of a vehicle to misdemeanor counts of unauthorized disclosure of DMV records. After initially pleading not guilty and fighting the charges this entire time, he’s changed that plea to guilty and will now face a sentence that sure sounds light considering all the laws that he broke.
After nearly a quarter of a century on the police force, Calleros asked a salesman about a history report before driving off the lot in a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado in October of 2019. That choice wasn’t the last bad one that he made though.
When the pickup was first reported as stolen, prosecutors say that Calleros posed as a different LAPD officer and then informed the department’s Vehicle Warrant Unit that the truck had already been recovered. Then, he added a license plate from a 2014 Silverado to the back of the truck before using a confidential database to run checks on both Silverados in question.
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On 10/25/19 a vehicle was stolen from Orange. Detectives from OPD developed a lead and arrested Matthew Calleros, a police officer with LAPD . He was booked into OC Jail. OPD is working with LAPD and the OCDA. The investigation is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/nsPFSSz8VZ
— Orange Police Department (California) (@CityOfOrangePD) November 10, 2020
According to the AP, it wasn’t until more than a year after the actual theft that Calleros was arrested while on the job at his station and with the truck in the parking lot. Even then, he was released without bail on his own recognizance. Somehow, that doesn’t sound like the same type of treatment the average citizen would get under the same circumstances.
Regardless, Calleros fought the charges and initially pleaded not guilty. Now he’s pleaded guilty to car theft, forgery of registration or license plates, and false personation, all felonies, as well as three misdemeanor counts. He was sentenced to just 180 days in jail and two years of probation. Court records also show that he is required to pay an undisclosed amount of restitution.
It should also be noted that after sentencing, Calleros was once again released and is expected to report to jail by August 26. If he goes in on that specific day he’ll be out by February 22, 2023. Just for context, the maximum sentence for these crimes would’ve been four years and four months in state prison.