By Tony Saavedra
The Orange County Register
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — An Orange County Sheriff’s Department probe into allegations that a department helicopter was used for a joy ride is focusing on a Nov. 10 trip taken by supervising Sgt. Han O and a female deputy assigned to the Central Court.
Interviews and documents released to the Watchdog under the California Public Records Act show that the one-hour trip, beginning at 10:30 a.m., was listed as a ride-along with pilot O and Deputy Sherri Demaio.
The department, however, said the pending investigation had not yet concluded whether the ride-along received approval, as required by Sheriff’s Department policy.
Typically, helicopter patrols include a pilot and a specially trained observer. A pilot with a ride-along but no observer would be of much less value patrol-wise, sheriff’s officials conceded.
The department initiated the investigation based on an anonymous complaint sent to some members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Allegations of a joy ride are especially troubling because of the $1,000-an-hour cost of operating flight patrols during an economic crisis.
In fact, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa recently grounded their helicopter patrols in order to save money. That leaves Huntington Beach, Anaheim and the Sheriff’s Department as the only local agencies with air patrols.
Abuse of the sheriff’s helicopters is also troubling because of misuse by previous officials, including allegations of sending a crew to retrieve a lost purse and using flights for amorous trysts during the tenure of sheriff-turned-felon Mike Carona.
Copyright 2012 Orange County Register