An employee of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office was caught on camera vandalizing a Black Lives Matter sign in Thousand Oaks, California.
Darrin Stone, who had worked in the office’s Pre-Trial Detention Facility since 2005, was recognized by detectives who looked at images posted online by the owner of a Black Lives Matter sign draped on a fence who placed surveillance cameras nearby.
“I’m deeply disappointed that one of our employees involved himself in this type of illegal activity, especially when this is an infringement on someone’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech,” said Sheriff Bill Ayub. “We will not tolerate unlawful or unethical behavior by anyone employed by our agency. We hold our employees to the highest standards, and there will be consequences for this.”
The office charged Stone with a misdemeanor for vandalism and placed him on paid administrative leave until a criminal and internal investigation are conducted. The office noted that he was off-duty at the time of the incident. Stone was filmed cutting down the sign on two separate occasions.
Another public employee, Craig Anderson, was also caught attempting to vandalize the Black Lives Matter sign. Anderson, an investigative assistant at the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, was filmed trying to cut down the sign when he noticed the camera and walked away. The sheriff’s office also charged him with a misdemeanor for vandalism.
Anderson had worked with the district attorney’s office for four months. The office issued a statement saying that he resigned, but it is not clear if the resignation took place before or after the vandalism charges were filed.
“In accordance with District Attorney policy, the misdemeanor vandalism citation will be referred to the Attorney General’s Office for all purposes due to Mr. Anderson’s employment status,” the district attorney’s office said.
The third vandal was identified as Jeffrey Moore, a 58-year-old who spray-painted over the sign. Moore, who is not associated with any public office, also received a vandalism charge.
The Black Lives Matter movement has seen a resurgence following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. There have been nationwide protests for several weeks, calling for an end to racial injustice and police brutality.
The officer who pressed a knee to Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, was fired from the department and has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers who were involved in detaining Floyd, who was suspected of using a fake $20 bill, were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Protesters have sought to raise awareness about systemic racism and police brutality against non-white people. Some activists have called for abolishing the police, but observers say the “defund the police” movement is more about shrinking the police budget and shifting funds over to mental-health care, affordable housing, and other services.
