San Mateo County is buzzing again with controversy. The county's top prosecutor concluded that Carlos Tapia, a deputy accused of timecard fraud, did not commit a crime. Tapia surrendered to be booked on these charges last November. Sheriff Christina Corpus had consulted with District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe before ordering Tapia's arrest. However, Wagstaffe later deemed the investigation into the alleged timecard fraud was incomplete at the time of the arrest.

The DA's office conducted a thorough review, including interviews with Tapia and others. They concluded that Tapia didn't commit grand theft, theft by false pretenses, or any timecard fraud. The prosecutor's office also found that the miscoded hours didn't cause any financial loss to the Sheriff's Office.

Tapia, who is the president of the San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, expressed relief at the outcome. He accused Sheriff Corpus of attempting retaliation due to a loss of confidence in her administration. Tapia and his fellow deputies eagerly await a new sheriff who can restore trust and transparency. The association now calls for a civil rights investigation into the actions leading to Tapia's arrest.

Sheriff Corpus still plans to conduct an internal review of the case by an independent investigator. She maintains that the arrest was based on initial information and additional follow-ups are standard procedure. The DA's office found the confusion surrounding the timecards stemmed from clerical errors in coding hours which Tapia was entitled to as DSA president.

The Deputy Sheriffs Association expressed satisfaction with the outcome, calling Tapia's arrest an attempt to silence dissent. Some county supervisors also called for Sheriff Corpus's resignation.

Inquire Into Deputy's Arrest; No Crime Found

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