BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A Bakersfield police officer who admitted flushing a man’s legally-owned marijuana down a toilet in a fit of anger had a misdemeanor theft charge dismissed Friday.
Officer Brendan Thebeau completed a pretrial diversion program granted in April by staying out of trouble and paying restitution, according to the District Attorney’s Office, which noted the agreement for diversion was made between Thebeau’s defense counsel and the judge.
Thebeau remains on administrative leave, BPD spokesman Sgt. Andrew Tipton said.
On Nov. 20, 2021, Thebeau and other officers were searching the home of a man accused of brandishing a firearm at an officer when, outside the view of other officers, he disposed of 2 ounces of marijuana found in a baggie on a kitchen table, according to court filings.
Thebeau at first denied finding marijuana in the home but changed his story when BPD investigators confronted him with body-worn camera footage, the reports say.
“(Thebeau) stated the incident made him mad, so when he located marijuana inside the residence, he retrieved it, walked to the bathroom, emptied it into the toilet and flushed the toilet,” an investigator wrote in the reports.
Police didn’t find a gun or other evidence connected to the brandishing incident, the reports say.
