W. Covina Chief Files for Workers’ Compensation

West Covina Police Chief John T. Distelrath, who has been on paid leave since last month while the city has investigated misconduct allegations against him, has filed a workers’ compensation claim, saying “continuous stress and strain” have impaired his ability to work, officials said Tuesday.

Distelrath, a 31-year law enforcement veteran, began his paid leave Dec. 7. West Covina City Atty. Elizabeth Martyn has been investigating accusations involving his hiring of a private business partner as a consultant for the Police Department.

On Jan. 20, the City Council in closed session discussed the handling of an incident involving Mayor Ben Wong, who in 1996 flashed a city-issued badge and confiscated the driver’s license of a motorist with whom he had a minor traffic accident. Also on Jan. 20, Martyn said, Distelrath signed his workers’ compensation claim--the same day The Times reported on questions raised by his handling of the Wong incident.

In a memo, Distelrath said he discussed the matter with local Deputy Dist. Atty. David Demerjian--Wong’s neighbor--and that the lawyer determined no serious crime was committed. But the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has said Demerjian recommended that the chief present the case to the Los Angeles city attorney, in whose jurisdiction the Harbor Freeway offramp accident occurred.

Officials at the L.A. city attorney’s office said they never heard from Distelrath. West Covina council members at the Jan. 20 meeting asked their city attorney to seek an FBI investigation.

Council members declined to discuss Distelrath’s workers’ compensation claim in detail Tuesday, though in the past they have said his job is in jeopardy. Distelrath said city officials have ordered him not to talk about the case. His attorney in the workers’ compensation matter could not be reached for comment.

In a December interview, Distelrath said that questions about his conduct were politically motivated and that he had done nothing wrong. “The man in this office will not be intimidated,” he said.

According to Martyn, the claim says injuries suffered as a result of Distelrath’s job include gastrointestinal, internal, high-blood pressure and psychological maladies.

The furor surrounding Distelrath seems to have taken a toll on City Hall, with the city manager, the interim police chief and four other top managers stepping down recently in an exodus that insiders say is related to the increasing tensions in the local government.

The allegations of misconduct center around Distelrath’s hiring of Sonny Faires, a local businesswoman and head of West Covina’s Chamber of Commerce, who has repeatedly refused to comment. The same month that Distelrath, Faires and a former West Covina police officer filed papers to form a lecture service, Distelrath hired Faires as a consultant for his department’s training facilities.

City officials say Distelrath apparently used federal drug asset forfeiture funds to pay Faires and never submitted her employment to the standard bidding process.

Times staff writer Nicholas Riccardi contributed to this story.