Former Bay Area politician arrested in Orange on drug charges

A former Bay Area politician and the estranged wife of the state treasurer — who has struggled publicly with substance-abuse problems that led her to resign earlier this year — faces criminal charges in Orange County after being arrested on drug charges.

Nadia Lockyer, an Alameda County supervisor until April, was arrested by police in Orange on Aug. 28, after law enforcement received a tip that she was in possession of drugs, said Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney’s office. The identity of the tipster has not been revealed.

Lockyer, 41, was living with her 9-year-old son at a relative’s home in Orange.

When police went to the home, police found her with methamphetamine and saw “objective signs” that she was under the influence of the drug, Emami said.

Police said they also found drug paraphernalia, including an opium pipe and tubular aluminum foil with a burned end, according to the criminal complaint.

Lockyer faces charges of drug possession, being under the influence and child abuse.

Lockyer is a native of Orange County and a former Santa Ana Board of Education trustee, who was elected in 1998.

Lockyer resigned her position in Alameda County amid a months-long drug and sex scandal. In February she said she had been assaulted by a former boyfriend in a motel room and admitted that she had been undergoing rehabilitation for drug and alcohol abuse.

Bill Lockyer filed for divorce in July, citing “irreconcilable differences.”

Shortly after the papers were filed, Nadia Lockyer was involved in a car accident near the couple’s home, knocking down a light pole and hitting a tree. Hayward police determined the cause of the accident was inattention to driving because of cellphone use. Police said there was no indication of drugs or alcohol being involved.

rick.rojas@latimes.com