Fired Simi Officer Charged With Falsifying Story of Ambush, Shooting

A Simi Valley reserve police officer who allegedly fabricated a story that he had been ambushed and shot was charged Friday with falsely reporting an emergency and falsely reporting a crime, the Ventura County district attorney’s office said.

Richard A. Todd, 26, of Simi Valley could be sentenced to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted of the two misdemeanor charges, Deputy Dist. Atty. Edward Brodie said.

Todd, who was dismissed but has not been arrested, is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Ventura Municipal Court. The judge could order Todd jailed pending a bond hearing or could free him on his own recognizance, Brodie said.

Todd, an engineer working part time as an unpaid, volunteer reserve police officer, suffered what police said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his right hand shortly after 9 p.m. on Oct. 9.

Todd claimed the wound was inflicted by four or five assailants in their late teens or early 20s who jumped him after he got out of his patrol car to investigate a suspicious-looking man at a Simi Valley High School athletic field. Todd told Simi Valley police that the youths threw him to the ground and shot him several times with his department-issued .38-caliber revolver. He said they then handcuffed him to a baseball backstop and fled, Lt. Rick TerBorch said.

Todd further alleged that one suspect returned, freed one of the officer’s arms, handed him his police radio to call for help, then fled again, TerBorch said.

Three other shots, fired point-blank at Todd’s chest and abdomen, were deflected by the officer’s bulletproof vest, causing only bruises. A fifth bullet pierced Todd’s left shoe but caused no injury to his foot, TerBorch said.

Police and district attorney’s officials would not discuss a motive for the shooting, but sources close to the case said that recent marital problems might have been a factor.

“It was a premeditated, planned deception,” TerBorch said.

Other sources said, however, that they believe Todd did not intend to shoot himself in the hand. That wound required surgery, and Todd remained in Simi Valley Adventist Hospital until Oct. 12.

TerBorch said it was Todd’s first time patrolling without being accompanied by a more experienced officer. A 16-year-old youth who had accompanied Todd as part of a department ride-along program remained in the patrol car and did not witness the shooting, TerBorch said.

At first, Todd was hailed as a hero, the first officer in Simi Valley’s 14-year history to be shot in the line of duty. As sympathy calls poured in, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol joined Simi Valley police in their search for the assailants.

Todd provided a detailed description of one of the purported suspects to a sheriff’s artist, who prepared a widely circulated composite drawing.

TerBorch said police began to suspect that the attack was a fake because of evidence developed by crime laboratory investigators, but he refused to elaborate. Nor would he say whether Todd has admitted shooting himself.

Todd was not arrested because an officer must witness a misdemeanor offense in order to make an arrest, TerBorch said.

‘Mixed Emotions’

Todd, who had served as a reserve officer for one year, was dropped from the volunteer force earlier this week.

TerBorch said Simi Valley police officers “are very unhappy about what he did to the department, but on the other hand, people feel sorry for him for whatever drove him to that extreme. There’s a lot of mixed emotions.”

The reserve program has 11 unpaid officers who wear regular police uniforms, carry weapons and patrol the city, often accompanied by people participating in the ride-along program, TerBorch said.

Reserve officer candidates receive 310 hours of police academy training and 200 hours of field training, and undergo a battery of psychological tests, TerBorch said.

Todd said through an intermediary that he did not wish to comment on the charges.