Front Page  »  

Sheriff’s department sex scandal lands three under investigation

July 30, 2012

John Pozdolski

CORRECTION: While senior deputy Todd Steeb and Pozdolski’s wife are under investigation, Sheriff Ian Parkinson placed only John Pozdolski on paid administrative leave.

By KAREN VELIE

An alleged affair between a senior San Luis Obispo County Sheriff deputy and a lower ranking officer’s wife has prompted department officials to place one employee on paid administrative leave and three under investigation.

Following allegations that senior deputy Todd Steeb was having an affair with a lower-ranking deputy’s wife, the lower-ranking deputy allegedly assaulted his wife, a sheriff’s department dispatcher. After learning of the assault, sheriff officials sent Commander Aaron Nix to arrest John Pozdolski for domestic violence at his home in Los Osos on July 16.

Department officials then placed John Pozdolski on paid administrative leave while internal affairs looks into the allegations.

Shortly before Ian Parkinson was elected sheriff, the department was investigating another sex scandal involving several department employees. In the summer of 2010, a male sheriff deputy and a female jail correctional officer were accused of sexual misconduct on the job and of filing a false report against the wife of a former officer.

Department insiders said the false charges were filed to retaliate against a former lover. However, the results of the department’s internal affairs investigation were never disclosed to the public with officials claiming it was a personnel issue.

In response to a request by CalCoastNews for information on how long the employees have been on paid administrative leave and who was performing the investigation, sheriff department public information officer Tony Cipolla said he would answer questions in an email. However, he instead sent a press release out to county media announcing Pozdolski’s arrest.


Loading...
Subjects:             
Related:


234 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

True about Parkinson with Amy “Dobson” Chastain. The Dobson woman who lied to a doctor about back pain to get a medical marijuana rec. who then set up all the delivery services. Our local government is so corrupt, I trust almost no one.


1

***SIGH***


If this is all true, how much is it going to cost SLOC taxpayers when Parkinson and Steeb face the prospect of getting gutted in open court by an experienced litigator with a good case?


This carp has to end…


***SIGH***


1

It will cost zero because it won’t happen.


1

Bingo. That was my first thought. That’s why they are trying to focus all the attention on Pozdolski.


0

To Truth Hurts (comment below):


Truth Hurts:


I think you make some valid points.


I can see Poz having been emotionally crushed knowing that a fellow deputy was servicing his wife while he was out on the streets and thus I can understand that he went off on her, but apparently it was not to the point of an injury which is fortunate for him.


It is obvious that the real culprits here are Steeb followed by Poz’ wife and that is the real shame. One betrayed a brother and one betrayed a husband . And I guess that the one who betrayed a brother also betrayed a wife.


Parkinson had his own issues at SLOPD with someone (intials AC) so I doubt he will drop the hammer on Steeb.


I noticed that Steebs photo link http://tinyurl.com/c9gqrtq shows him in his patrol car which has the words “Sworn to Service” Based on some of the things that are coming to light maybe the new motto should be “Sworn to service my co-workers wife”


Hey Poz … as this thing winds its way through the halls of the admin wing and the court house, you might want to think about a civil action … it’s just a thought but I think a jury would be sympathetic ….. you know …. Veritas Aequitas !


0

I completely agree


0

Thank you for posting this!


0

Dexter, this is absolutely the most thoughtful post made about this issue. I hope TH feels better after reading it.


These kinds of BS strife and angst is exactly what LEOs should not have to deal with at work. They have other things they need to pay attention to, and it is not fair to put them through this.


0

Who would deputy P litigate against, his wife? I notice the posts and articles do not name the other half of the encounter. She is called ‘his wife’. What’s up with that?


0

While many seem intent on crucifying Deputy Poz. and using this incident for a soap box to vent their frustrations with law enforcement or as a platform to rant about domestic violence, they choose to ignore the 800 pound gorilla . Clearly Mrs.Poz has thrown her husband,his career, their marriage ,their child’s future in a stable family, and their department under the bus with her inability to control her sexual desires. No doubt this Steeb character is a piece of work who needs to be dealt with(officially and otherwise) but it takes two to tango. It is also clear that Mrs. Poz should be counting her blessings that something more serious didn’t happen to her or her “lover” as a result of their unwillingness to control themselves.Flame away!


0

In addition of Steeb’s “Sworn-to-Service” photo, did you notice all the ride-along programs for KIDS Steeb has conducted.


I mean, I could see him having a “ride-along” program for Sheriffs Department dispatchers, but kids? Totally out of the question.


What in the world was Parkinson thinking in allowing Steeb such high-profile events. I mean, his face is all over the internet in connection with his PR events for the SD.


0

Here goes my 2 cents…I don’t work there but I have some friends that do..and this is their 2 cents also..

“Senior Deputy” Todd Steeb is a moron! most people in the department have nothing good to say about him. He is a joke to most people that work there they all call him “Super Todd” because he thinks he is so bad ass and is an attention hog! Deputy Pozdolski is the true vitim in this. His wife cheated on him and one of his so called friends and co workers screwed his wife. Yeah the guy went about channeling his anger the wrong way, I agree, but still what would you do if your wife slept with a co worker? I am not saying domestic violence is ok by any means..but what he actually got arrested for is “domestic battery” which is, for example a push. He DID NOT cause any injury at all or else it would be a felony. One tiny little red mark would make it a felony. When he got arrested all that happened was he got his picture taken and fingerprinted and released. He did no have to bail out because it is such a low level charge.it is not even a mandatory arrest per the department policy! The dept was just covering it’s ass by making an “arrest!” They didn’t have to do it but to make sure people think they are taking care of business they did. He was released within an hour or so on a promise to appear (basically a ticket).

Most people in the department think ol Todd is a kiss ass!! I dont think the sheriff is going to sweep what he did under the table either.. Todd is always kissing up to the department admin, according to friends that I have, but I think they are wise to what he is doing. The guy is a douche bag and needs to be demoted and have his precious “resident deputy” spot taken away.

Hey Todd…you are a BLUE FALCON!!!!!! you should find a new line of work!! IF YOUR COWORKERS CAN NOT TRUST YOU WITH THEIR WIFE HOW IN THE HELL CAN HEY TRUST YOU WITH THEIR LIFE!!!

What you did caused a chain of events that ruined several people!! I hope you feel good!! dick!!


0

I think you should post this at the Tribune.


0

Thanks for your post.


I think the Sheriff may throw Poldozski under the bus because Steeb has a very high profile in the community, and has done a lot with kids. It just isn’t right for someone who is so sleezy he would sleep with a fellow-deputy’s wife involved with kids, and I think the kids’ parents will think the same way.


The last time I looked, every post I have made at the Tribune about this scandal, that has Steeb’s name and a description of what he did, has been removed. There is one “new” poster who seems to be behind it.


I don’t think it is fair for Poldozski to take all the heat for this scandal. His arrest for domestic violence, in the long run, when it is compared to a very high-profile public-outreach deputy with the morals of an alley cat in heat, pales in its impact on the department and Parkinson.


Either Parkinson knew and allowed the affair to continue, which indicates he enabled all of this disruption occurring–or—Parkinson didn’t know, which indicates he is out of touch with what is going on in the ranks, and raises the questions of what other kind of mayhem is going on in the department.


Really, the only way Parkinson can keep this from becoming full-blown cluster-frick is to shift all the attention to Poldozski….which is exactly what Parkinson and his PIO, Ciopollo, appear to be doing.


It isn’t fair, and I hope–if this is what Parkinson is doing–it can be submarined, and the sooner the better.


0

P.S. I hadn’t heard the term “Blue Falcon” in a long time. You’re correct. Steeb appears to be a bf.


0

I think you made Mary Malone’s day. But…….you can times the information by 3 and divide it by 2 and arrive at the real truth which is only about 15% accurate at best. You can tell by the vernacular and style that is was written just to stir the pot..


0

You are nuts. The article is straight-up written.


In any event, how the truth is worded does not change the content. They are just words. Any sway you allow them to have over you is your own fault.


0

“arrive at the real truth which is only about 15% accurate at best”

“You can tell by the vernacular and style that this comment was written just to stir the pot”


Fixed it for you :)


0

Truth Hurts, you provide some of the best reasons for arresting Pozdolski and make no excuses for allegedly conducting “domestic battery”.


Regardless of whether a “mark” was left or not, he should have known better (including knowing the law). This guy is a sheriff who arrests others for doing the same thing he allegedly did. All law enforcement officials should have more restraint, intelligence and control than the criminals they arrest. If they don’t, there are other professions that may suit them like bar bouncer.


0

Truth, thank you for posting that. From what I hear, Steeb is a pretty well known name around the S O. Don’t get me wrong, Pozsolski did do the wrong thing. My question is, if Steeb has been doing this same thing for a while, why is he not being looked at? I wonder how many other deputies have been in pozdolski’s position and been swept under the rug.


0

Excellent point.


0

Is everyone forgetting it takes TWO to have an affair? The comments are overwhelming bias towards the male with few comments concerning the OTHER willing participant, the female.


The deputies who are secure in their lives state that; there are a number of the team that are jealous of deputy Steeb because he shows more enthusiasm in his work and is quicker to learn than some of the other deputies. Those attributes are noted by administration and are often rewarded. It’s a sour grapes scenario by the deputies who wish they could naturally compete against deputy Steeb therefore slinging negativity as they feel threatened.


Always two or more sides to every story.


0

Truth hurts:you just hit the person Todd Steeb is right on the head!! I have close personal friends who work for the same department and I am a frequent long time visitor of Lake Nacimiento, where he works as a boat officer. He is a professional at the “game”…. I hope they conduct a fair and in depth investigation of him because I’m sure they will find plenty of ammo. According to many people that know Steeb, his actions are not only done on his personal time. Also, very few fellow officers respect him because he puts himself on a pedestal and if they are not up to his standards he treats them horribly. Like I said, I hope they do a fair and in depth investigation and uncover who this “Super Todd” character REALLY is.


0

In regards to the whining about corrections being made to the original article…


I did a Tribune site search for “CORRECTIONS:” and there were 845 items returned.


0

Okay, more on CORRECTIONS…


I did searches for CCN and the Tribune.


In each case, I went to their site “SEARCH” feature and searched for a word which seemed to be in every article from each website.


I then did a search for articles that had been corrected.


For CCN, since when you do a search for “CORRECTIONS:” it returns articles with “corrections,” “Corrections,”correct,” etc., I searched for “the.”


For the Tribune, I searched for “CORRECTIONS:”


RESULTS FOR RATIO OF CORRECTED ARTICLES TO PUBLISHED ARTICLES AND ITEMS:


CCN: 1:833 (Out of all the articles, for every 833 articles there was 1 article/item that needed to be corrected)


TRIBUNE: 1:147 (Out of all of the articles, for every 147 articles there was 1 article/item that needed to be corrected.


This quick assessment indicates CCN has to correct a-lot-fewer articles/items than does the Tribune. Indeed, the Tribune has to correct its articles/items at a rate that is nearly 6 times that of CCN.


By using the ratio approach, I hoped to adjust for the fact that the Tribune publishes more articles/items than does CCN. However, that was as far as I went for adjusting for known discrepancies between the two news organizations.


0

Speaking of corrections MaryMalone, I am still waiting for the Tribune to apologize to me for their article in 2007 where they chastized me for blowing the whistle on their golden boy, Kelly Gearhart. They hurled a brickbat under the heading “GEARHART WAS UNFAIRLY TARGETED” and commented that I had egg on my face.


So when the news that Gearhart was indicted for money laundering, etc, I sent the Tribune an email with a “tongue in cheek” suggestion that I receive an apology, even a private one would be appreciated.


Of course I have not heard anything back.


As related to the article about this Sheriff’s Office issue, it really does defy explanation.


0

Yeah, I’m waiting for Cuddy and the moron at the New Times to apologize to me, too…NOT.


However, WE know you (and so many others) were right and the Tribune was wrong. If you want, I’ll write them a letter (a REAL letter with a stamp and everything) and tell them they need to apologize to you. I’m serious. In this day of emails, when one sends an actual paper letter, the recipient notices.


0

All things considered, and lively debate notwithstanding, the lead for this item deserves notice, as well.

Just another ccn mischaracterization of what’s what in favor of salaciousness.

Sex-scandal, I ask you? Please.


0

A Senior Deputy–who is involved with the public on a nearly constant basis–has an affair with a dispatcher who is the wife of another deputy. The cuckolded deputy confronts his floozy wife and ends up being arrested for domestic violence.


This isn’t a scandal to you? Or are you claiming that there really isn’t an investigation going on? That would be very bad if that was true.


0

If you only want to read the official press release then read the other sites.


This only just came out, lot’s more to this story. As always.


0

It looks like the Sheriffs Department is trying to keep Senior Deputy Todd Steeb out of this mess, and that stinks.


Do a web search–its clear the department is grooming Steeb for advancement. They have him in the public eye as a regular ol’ Officer Do-Gooder, doing fund-raising ride-along programs, etc.


In fact, he did a fund-raiser for a ride-along event a little over a month ago–when he was probably still boinking Mrs. Pozdolski–to raise money to send kids to YMCA camp. Yuck. I hope he washed the front seat of his car first.


For Steeb to be involved in this messy affair has to be a real embarrassment for the department.


If anyone is curious about what a deputy who screws a fellow deputy’s wife looks like, here you go…Mr. Todd Steeb! http://tinyurl.com/c9gqrtq


0

This Steeb guy is one of parkinsons boys, look at the sherrif “swear in”, you will see steeb next to parkinson holding his briefcase or licking his boots or something. Does this go deeper (no pun)? Maybe parkinson and his band of misfits should hand over this, and all sheriff dept. internal investigations to the state. If I were Pozdolski I would be concerned that the sheriff will error on the side of his buddy. Ask around up here in Cambria about some of steebs other short comings.


0

There is a difference of breaking the law and breaking department policy. I assume Sheriff Parkinson does not want to instantly overreact to an otherwise productive and well liked deputy with an excellent track record such a deputy Steeb. If the media publicized every infidelity scenario that occurred in the workplace, they would fill the first few pages of the news. Citizens have an historic urge of cop bashing. Been there done it myself.


Interesting how few posts there are regarding the Paso Robles locals who murdered two men in San Ardo, but how many people get fired up over this news. Also interesting is how the cop bashers seem to rarely mention the female dispatchers involvement in the incident. It’s no wonder that many movies are filled with sex and guns. The general population seem to be tantalized by the subjects.


0

1. Interesting how few posts there are regarding the Paso Robles locals who murdered two men in San Ardo, but how many people get fired up over this news.


When it comes to Paso Robles, bad news, scandalous news, news of corruption, news of sexual assaults by a chief on LEOs, inept city management, inept city council….has become the “norm.” Face it. SLOCo will have to go a far piece of road to reach the slut factor of ex-chief Lisa Solomon. She really has set the bar on heinous behavior pretty high. In addition, the San Ardo news has been going on longer than the SLOCo SD’s scandal. Finally, there isn’t much citizens in SLO Co can do to resolve the impact the San Ardo case. We can, however, apply public pressure to resolve the Steeb case.


2. Also interesting is how the cop bashers seem to rarely mention the female dispatchers involvement in the incident. There’s been mention, but certainly not to the level of the two SLO CO DEPUTIES. Perhaps it is because the two most mentioned are SLO CO DEPUTIES, who are held to a higher standard than dispatchers.


3. t’s no wonder that many movies are filled with sex and guns. The general population seem to be tantalized by the subjects. BZZZZZZTTTT! You lost in the third round, when you attempt to tie the idiosyncrasies of message-board participants’ interests to both “so many movies are filled with sex and guns” and “the general population seem to be tantalized by the subjects” without posting any evidence or logic linking those widely variable subjects.


0

Wow what a difference a day or two makes in the policy of press releases.


Yesterday a deputy is attacked in the jail by a deranged inmate and a press release is issued immediately, yet a deputy is arrested mid July and it takes two weeks before a press release is put out and only after repeated inquiry by the press …. hmmmmmmm? What wrong with this picture?


0

Personal attack deleted


Please chill…


0

I love the few that are here (cops probably) all wigged out over peoples comments. They are all upset that we here are assuming. To all those type I say this. We here are commenting on what was presented here in the press. As for how do we know what happened? We don’t BUT if they arrested him for assault, I would have to figure he put his hands on her in some way unless they arrest you for verbal assault. What say you the few??


0

The irony is that an important part of an LEO’s job is that, when he/she accuses someone of doing something, it is ASSUMED the LEO is telling the truth.


But this time, when an LEO accuses Pozdolski (an LEO) of doing something, we are supposed to assume he is innocent.


My, how they whine when it happens to them. The outrage! The indignation!!


The hypocrisy


0
1 2 3 4 5 6