Ex-Police Chief Pleads No Contest to Theft

A former Compton police chief pleaded no contest Thursday to a felony charge that he stole at least $5,000 from an undercover drug-buy fund during his last two years with the department.

Terry Ray Ebert, 49, entered the plea to grand theft before Los Angeles Municipal Judge Elva R. Soper. She ordered him to be in court Nov. 5 for sentencing. He faces a maximum three-year prison term.

Ebert also had been accused of trying to hide the loss of the money from auditors.

The former chief was with the Compton department for 23 years and assumed the top post in 1990. Ebert retired last summer after being placed on administrative leave when auditors discovered the theft.

Ebert has maintained that he is innocent. He has contended that he tried to cover up the loss of the money only because he feared that the department would face disgrace if it was discovered.

He told investigators that he intended to look into the theft himself, but he never got around to it.

His lawyer, Edward George, would not say why Ebert changed his plea from not guilty to no contest.

“There are some extenuating circumstances that will be brought up at sentencing to explain the purpose of the plea and what he did,” George said.

The audit that revealed the missing $5,000 also uncovered other misuse of money and shoddy accounting practices while Ebert was chief. Another $28,000 could not be accounted for. Ebert was not accused of having taken that money.

The $5,000 he is accused of stealing was kept in a locked, 8-by-10-inch metal box for use by officers in drug stings.

The box was kept in a locked cabinet in Ebert’s office, and Ebert had the only keys, authorities said.

When an audit of department funds seemed imminent last spring, authorities said, Ebert had a property officer take money from the police vault and replace the money missing from the metal box.

The tactic was successful until an anonymous caller tipped off the Compton city controller and a second audit was conducted.

Four empty envelopes that had held money in the police vault were later found in Ebert’s desk, officials said.