L.A. County sheriff’s deputy accused of stealing motorist’s money

A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has been charged for allegedly stealing money from a driver’s coin purse after a traffic stop last year in the Whittier area and then concealing the evidence and filing a false police report, District Attorney George Gascón said on Wednesday, April 17.

Jessica Lynn, 39, faces one felony count each of filing a false police report and altering, planting or concealing evidence, along with one misdemeanor count of petty theft not exceeding $950 in value, the District Attorney’s Office said.

Lynn is accused of stopping a vehicle for excessive window tinting at about 2:45 a.m. on April 15, 2023, at a strip mall at 10422 Whittier Boulevard, and the driver was not in possession of a valid driver’s license, the D.A.’s Office said.

The deputy allegedly searched the vehicle and recovered a coin purse containing money and then allegedly stole the cash before discarding the coin purse in a trash receptacle, prosecutors said.

“The department’s Internal Criminal Investigation Bureau conducted an investigation into the allegations involving our employee,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “Once the case was completed, it was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. …  The employee is relieved of duty pending the outcome of the case.”

Lynn could face up to six years and two months in state prison if convicted of all charges, the D.A.’s Office said.