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SLO ad exec arrested for threatening an officer

July 13, 2011

Jeff Lind

Prosecutors in Santa Maria have filed a flurry of felony charges against a San Luis Obispo marketing executive for allegedly threatening a police officer, a charge partially refuted by video tape of the incident available on KCCN.tv.

Jeffery Lind, 55, was at the Santa Maria courthouse when he spoke with an officer who had arrested his son for driving under the influence, said KCCN.tv. Lind said the officer made his son take a breath alcohol test 25 times.

Both Lind and Guadalupe police officer Robert Ortega agree that the following exchange occurred:

LIND (walking toward Ortega): “Oh, you’re Ortega.”

ORTEGA: “Yes, I am.”

LIND: “You’re the officer who arrested my son. You’re here for court today?”

ORTEGA: “Oh. You’re Lind’s father.”

LIND:  “Yes. Thank you for arresting my son.” (In his report, Ortega asserted the comment was made “sarcastically.”)

At this point, Lind’s and Ortega’s versions of events differ sharply. Lind would later report in a sworn affidavit that Ortega then said, “Thanks? Really?” And Lind responded, “No, you made him blow (take a breath alcohol test) 25 times.”

Ortega claims he “became fearful” of Lind who he said began threatening him, jabbed his finger at him and yelled in his face.

According to Lind, he said, “Justice will prevail.”

According to Ortega, Lind said, “And you got something coming to you, too, pal.”

Ortega later reported that he “felt threatened by this as he was sitting down.” He said he “then advised (Lind), ‘You just made a threat to a police officer.’”

Footage from security cameras in the courtroom foyer appear to refute at least some of the allegations now being leveled by the officer and Santa Barbara County district attorney’s deputies.

Lind has been charged with resisting arrest; conspiracy; dissuading a witness; attempting, but failing, to commit a crime; and attempting to file a false or forged statement. He’s free on $200,000 bail.

Find the complete article by Daniel Blackburn and the video tape at KCCN.tv.


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Unfortunately, the only thing to do, is to refuse all plea deals (legal blackmail) and take it to a jury, then file a civil suit to recover your expenses after the jury exonerates you, and after seeing this video and comparing it to Ortega’s BS, the jury will surely find you not guilty. It’s going to take public outrage to put a stop to these antic’s and this sort of crime by the LE against the citizens is becoming more egregious everyday. These day’s the more that I see, the less inclined I am to take the word of a LEO against an upstanding citizen.


Perhaps (like a SLOSD did last year) , Ortega can complain to Play Boy Magazine about how unfair it is to record police officers and Play Boy can write a ” tongue and cheek ” story for the rest of the nation to read about, complete with a copy of the video for another few million citizens to watch and laugh at. Has anyone heard if Matt has filed his civil case against the SLOSD yet?


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The County DA is completely co-opted by the power structure/good ol boy network in this county. “Peculiar” events will continue to happen until this DA is replaced by someone who has the public interest as the main priority rather than protecting law-breaking “good ol boys”


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What? 200k bond for an angry father mad at a cop in a courthouse. Am I reading that right?


This makes no sense whatsoever. It’s not a crime to be angry. It’s not a crime to be rude to a cop. And 200k bond? Give me a break. What did he do make the cop cry?


What judge ordered this?


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What judge ordered this?

A judge that had some idea of the depth of Mr. Lind’s pockets


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Lind was O R ed no money out of his pocket, yet another lie from Lind. Keep buying his BS.


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Well, I think a lot has already been said already… but…


1) Dad needs a few consequences to fall on the boy. If he is underage, the boy needs to feel what its like to go to the woodshed… if he is an adult, Dad needs him to take his medicine at this point.


2) As for Dad, mildly successful folks … say ‘citizens’, need to walk the straight and narrow because the system sometimes falls hardest on them when they step out of line to prove it is fair. Also, acting out with any law enforcement person is just asking for trouble… I remember once when a bunch of alleged gang bangers were pulled over and the youngest mouthed off… the oldest member apologized to the officer and said the kid would be dealt with… after all, it is bad for business.


3) Law enforcement officers should know in the age of the Rodney King ‘cam’, that how they report an incident must be accurate and beyond reproach… even if it makes them look bad or doesn’t show exactly what they wish it to… because at least, they will show a level of truthfulness that is important and expected.


4) Lastly,I don’t know these folks, the officer or the ‘child’ involved… but if has been a recurring problem… well… Dad has to walk away some day.


Hate to see this stuff.


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after all, it is bad for business

gangs will be gangs


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Zaphod, you are one of the reasons I enjoy all this garbage. You are an extremely humorous person. I’d say thank you but I don’t want you to get a swelled head. Better to keep you humble. “gangs will be gangs” is a classic.


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Wow, some chat. Everything but putting blame where it belongs, on the cops!!!!!!!! What’s the matter Roger, can’t call a spade a spade no matter what? Your attitude is astounding, a free ride for the rogues ‘system’ and another beating for the victims. Dismal performance on your part. NO MATTER WHAT LIND DID the response by your gladiators was not called for and based on most evidence he didn’t do anything.


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I not sure that “And you got something coming to you, too, pal.” constitutes a credible and legal threat. Doesn’t the law require “a specific” threat? He could as easily have meant disciplinary action or losing the DUI case vs. physical harm. Dumb to say, in any case.


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Everybody who knows Lind knows that he is a very religious man. That’s right, very religious. No doubt that many people can testify to that. It would appear that Ortega is terrified of the wrath of GOD!


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Lind wouldn’t be the first “religious” person to go afoul. Maybe I’m missing something here, but is the video the ONLY altercation or is it the original altercation? Did it escalate elsewhere (in the courtroom?). Perhaps much more is involved here as to resisting arrest, conspircy etc. If not, I hope Lind gets his due justice.


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Most LE fail by assuming the public is entirely naive!

Timely turning on his recorder and going into his good guy act is a very very old LE art form.

So long as they convince the courts, it puts all the rest of us in our place of just how powerful they are.

Vote yes on measure A and B, you won’t have a second chance!

The virtuous Safety Officers will stay the course and will be okay, the community will support genuine discretion, the rest should please leave and join Seal Team 6 or the CIA.


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Lind MUST be a serious threat to society to have his bail set at $200,000!


Golly gee, the perps that BEAT and ROBBED a woman last week in a SLO motel must have committed a much LESS serious crime…


according to the TRIB: Read more: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2011/07/09/1676652/woman-beaten-and-robbed-friday.html


“The three suspects — Ashley Velneatha Wagner, 19, David Anthony McDaniels, 19, and Michael Holmes-Fuqua, 20, all Bay Area residents — were arrested on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy and are being held in lieu of $30,000 bail at the San Luis Obispo County Jail”.


$30,000 bail….. ????????????????


Unless Lind pledged substantial assets to come up with $200,000 bail he would have to pay a bail bondsmen 10% or $20,000 to get out of jail and that is money he will NEVER see again!


And given the myriad of charges he will almost have to certainly have to hire a top notch attorney at an astronomical cost!


All because he TALKED to the officer.


The video my save him but nothing will save his pocketbook!


And I am not clear how all these numerouscharges (aka, ‘throw the book at you”) are collaborated first with the DA or the PD just uses its own disgression when bringing charges. They will probably thinking to come up with as much as possible as see what sticks. After all LInd is a VERY BAD GUY!


Either way Lind looses and the government entity (and lawyers) flourish!


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STOP THAT, Yes it did cost him 20K out of pocket to post his bond and yes, he will need an attorney but Ortega ‘s testimony can’t stand up when it comes to his statement (that is in writing) as compared to that video. Lind can over come these charges and fight back with a civil suit. He can recover all his costs and plenty extra for this travesty of justice that was perpetrated against him.


Chin up Mr Lind, when you told Ortega that he had something coming back, you weren’t kidding! Funny thing is that it was Ortega, that made it a reality. Unfortunately, it is your reality for a short time too. Bet you never thought, ah never mind.


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Cindy, this man is going to have to deal with huge legal expenses that he has to lay out to be exonerated. If the video tape shows the officer(s) lied, than this is wrong even if he can eventually get his legal expenses back. If the officer(s) lied the DA needs to drop the charges on this man and charge the officer(s).


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Yes, I think that is the whole point and “punishment.” His pocketbook will take a tremendous hit, and the judge and police officer know it. He needs to get a good attorney and sue to get his money back.


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I was thinking of going to law school many years ago, I wanted to fight stuff like this. A lawyer friend told me to forget it, knowing me. He said cops lie all the time, the system stinks and I would go crazy trying to get justice in our judicial system. I took his advice.


This is a good example. The (expletive deleted) DA should have told the Dad to cool it (if, in fact, he made any mistakes in talking to the cop) and let it go. The, as they used to be called and sometimes with good reason, piggies are way too powerful and their word carries too much weight. Any good cop should be horrified at this injustice. We all have stories of cop abuse of citizens, not a good situation.


Ortega says the Dad was sarcastic, and said something most of us would have just blown off. These constitute threats to an officer? What a bunch of wimps. Reminds me of Linden and Parkinson bragging about killing Mardi Gras celebrations in SLO. Punks, wimps; can’t handle a couple drunks here and there so they go whining to the council for authorization to wipe out one of the best parades this side of the Mississippi.


I wish some local cops would speak up about these things ’cause we don’t know if there are just some real bad apples or the lot of them are rotten. We know most of the chiefs (and former Sheriff) are bums and a number of the rank and file are too, but what about the rest? So little accountability.


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“Piggies?” Hmmm…Reminds me of the White Album…Which reminds me of those times….Art thou dating yourself with the “Question Authority,” and all cops (and returning VN Vets are killers) mantra?


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I do go back a ways, and remember many things I thought I would never see again yet here in our little slice of heaven the crooks, liars, no good lazy DAs (SB and here in happy town) are all busily doing their thing, at our loss.


Actually, the crooks that sent our boys to Nam are the killers. Just like our local cops we had some bad ones on the ground but the situation our troops were put in by the evil bastards in high power is what should be looked at. Our cops are NOT in that position, I think by and large our cops in these two counties have a pretty good deal. Why this Ortega flipped out, why other cops flipped out, why the DA flipped out and why the judge imposed such a vicious bail (meaning he/she flipped out too) is all beyond me. If the DAD had punched the cop that would not have called for those charges and ghastly bail.


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I had my husband watch this video without having ANY knowledge of why he was watching this. He had no idea of this story line whatsoever. When it was done, he looked at me and said, “And so what was I supposed to see happen?” Clearly, there was no visual threats made. Were there verbal threats to make the officer feel threatened enough to rise to his feet, expose his vulnerable torso to the threatening party and tend to his waistband????


Didn’t appear threatening to me in anyway. The charges seem somewhere in the realm of ridiculous and I sincerely hope justice does prevail to benefit the victims here…all future people who would likely receive the same treatment by officer Ortega! He needs to be charged and fired.


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Danika you too are misinformed about the case. The serious charges comes from the court room rants that Lind makes to the judge. You should get the whole story before commenting on something you have no idea what you are talking about. Lind’s outrageous behavior in the court room gets the added charges and the high bail.


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