Santa Ana City Staff Attorney, 2 Others Face Hashish Charges

A Santa Ana deputy city attorney was arrested Sunday when he and two other people were spotted while allegedly smoking hashish in a parked car in Newport Beach.

Charles W. Matheis Jr., 32, of Irvine has been charged with possession of hashish, according to Newport Beach police spokesman Trent Harris. Matheis, contacted at his City Hall office Monday, declined comment.

Harris said a plainclothes Newport Beach officer became suspicious after seeing Matheis and two other people passing a pipe back and forth while sitting in a car parked near the intersection of Channel Road and Ocean Boulevard at about 3 p.m. Sunday. The officer investigated and then arrested the three after confiscating a small amount of what he believed to be hashish. The quantity was estimated at 0.7 grams.

Also arrested were Edna G. Matheis, 25, of Irvine, believed to be Matheis’ sister, and Carl E. Knutson, 33, of Huntington Beach. All three were charged with possession of hashish and released on their own recognizance, Harris said. Possession of hashish is a felony under California law.

Charles Matheis began working for Santa Ana on June 16, 1981. He specializes in federal court cases. He defended the city in a suit by Jesse Sanchez, a police officer who recently won a $900,000 award when a U. S. District Court judge ruled that he had been denied due process of law while attempting to collect back wages from the city.

City Atty. Edward C. Cooper said he spoke to Matheis briefly Monday about the arrest but has not decided whether any disciplinary action is necessary. “I want to wait until I get all the facts,” he said, adding that there have been no changes in duty for the deputy city attorney.

In addition to Cooper, the City of Santa Ana’s legal department consists of eight deputy city attorneys and one assistant city attorney. Cooper noted that the city does not prosecute drug cases, which are handled through the district attorney’s office.