A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy was arrested after being accused of being in possession of a stolen vehicle and a computer crime, according to a department press release.
Dakota Robson, 25, has not been formally charged with any crimes. But county jail records show he was booked Thursday, Oct. 9, on charges of taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent, possession of a stolen vehicle and malicious access to a computer system.
He was released Friday on $10,000 bail.
The sheriff’s department reported in a press release that Robson has been employed since June of 2023, and was most recently working an assignment at the department’s Southwest Sheriff’s Station. The release stated that there is an ongoing internal investigation of the allegations and that Robson has been put on paid administrative leave while the probe is ongoing.
None of the alleged crimes were detailed in the department’s press release. It’s unclear if he is accused of stealing the vehicle while on duty and if the unauthorized computer access was related to law enforcement databases.
Other accusations against sheriff’s deputies
In September, a woman sued another Riverside County deputy, accusing him of stalking her and using the department’s confidential databases to obtain her address and other private information in attempt to pursue her romantically. The La Quinta woman claims then-Deputy Eric Piscatella made up a story about pursuing a Black man through her neighborhood, when he was really trying to make advances on her in her home. Piscatella pleaded guilty to lesser charges and has since resigned.
There have been a rash of deputies accused or convicted of criminal misconduct in recent years. One, Christian Heidecker, pleaded guilty in 2024 to 13 felony counts of extortion, bribery and dissuading a witness after he compelled women to send him explicit material in exchange for preferential treatment while on the department’s house arrest program. He was sentenced to five years in prison. And Jorge Oceguera-Rocha pleaded guilty to transporting more than 100 pounds of fentanyl while off duty and was sentenced to probation.
Sheriff Chad Bianco’s department is also currently under investigation by the California Department of Justice for allegations of civil rights violations after the county’s jail system rose to become among the deadliest in the nation.
Bianco publicly opposed a measure recently brought by a county supervisor to explore creating a civilian oversight board to increase transparency in the the department. The motion died after the deputies union leadership spoke out against it during the July meeting and Bianco delivered a speech for more than 15 minutes, calling the move a political power grab.
Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Riverside County sheriff’s deputy accused of vehicle theft, computer crime
Reporting by Christopher Damien, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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