Huntington Beach Police Officer Arrested on Charges of Physically Abusing Wife & Girlfriend to Keep from Losing his Job

According to news reports, Huntington Beach Police Officer James Roberts, III was arrested on charges of physically abusing his wife and girlfriend, and dissuading his wife from reporting the assaults in order to keep him from losing his job.  Officer Roberts is charged with felonies for eight counts of false imprisonment by violence or deceit, three counts of criminal threats, two counts of domestic battery with corporal injury, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of dissuading a witness by force or threat, and one count of vandalism.  If convicted on all counts, Officer Roberts faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in state prison.  

Officer Roberts is currently being held on $250,000 bail and is expected to be arraigned Friday, September 4, 2009, at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, California.

According to an Orange County Court News Release, beginning August 1, 2009, traffic violators in Orange County who qualify for traffic school will have the option of attending any DMV-approved classroom traffic school or any court-approved online traffic school.  This is a change from the prior requirement in Orange County that all traffic school programs be classroom style traffic school programs offered only at Orange County Court locations.

To effectuate this change, the Orange County Courts have entered into an agreement with California Traffic Safety Institute (CTSI), a non-profit organization, to oversee the various traffic school programs and assist in the preparation of certificates of completion that are entered into court records.  According to the Orange County Court News Release, CTSI will maintain and monitor a list of approved traffic schools.  Traffic violators will select any school from the approved list and then enroll with and pay the instructional fee directly to the school.  Statutory traffic school fees and court fines will continue to be paid directly to the Court.

California Traffic Safety Institute (CTSI)

209 E Avenue K-8, Suite 210

Lancaster, California 93535

Telephone: 661-940-1907

Website: www.ctsi-courtnetwork.org