Case # 20CF1631
Anaheim Police Officer Charged with Perjury, Filing a False Police Report
SANTA ANA, Calif. – An Anaheim police officer has been charged with two felony counts for filing a false police report and then lying under oath while testifying in court regarding an April 2018 traffic stop.
Dillon Adam Avila, 28, faces a maximum of four years and eight months in state prison if convicted on all charges. Avila was sworn in as an Anaheim police officer in January 2016.
Avila was working as an Anaheim police officer when he and his partner conducted a traffic stop in April 2018. The driver repeatedly stated he did not consent to having his vehicle searched. Despite acknowledging that the defendant did not consent, Avila wrote in an April 29, 2018 police report that the driver consented to the search. The search turned up drugs and evidence of drug sales.
The driver was charged with one felony count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell and one felony count of the sale or transport of a controlled substance.
Avila then testified at a February 5, 2019 preliminary hearing that the driver – now defendant – consented to the search.
Body worn camera footage later confirmed the driver did not consent to the search.
Once it confirmed the misconduct, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office immediately dismissed the charges against the driver on February 21, 2020.
“The rule of law is only as strong as the lawful actions of those who are sworn to uphold it. We cannot tolerate dishonest police officers and we must prosecute them and ensure they are fired,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The public has every right and expectation that those who wear the badge will lawfully carry out their duties without exception. Those who violate the public’s trust and break the very laws they are sworn to uphold will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Deputy District Attorney Jake Jondle of Special Prosecutions is prosecuting this case.