After an incident this past January that generated a massive manhunt and lockdowns at eight different schools, a Los Angeles Unified Schools police officer has been charged with faking his own shooting.
On Jan. 19, Jeff Stenroos, 30, was spotted lying on the ground near his open car door by a good Samaritan. He was on duty at El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, Calif. and alleged he was shot in the chest by a car-burglary suspect. This resulted in an 8-square-mile shutdown and a 10-hour search by more than 550 Southern California law enforcement officers.
Stenroos was then taken to Northridge Medical Center where he was treated and released. Soon after, he checked in to another hospital, allegedly due to continuing pain. He is now being charged with insurance fraud for seeking medical treatment for nonexistent injuries.
The fines he may face, however, are far from nonexistent. As a result of time wasted on the manhunt, the city is now seeking $361,829 in restitution, and the school district is asking for $58,000 for the fraudulent medical costs. Additionally, the district is in the process of calculating full restitution costs for the school lockdowns.
The indictment handed down May 12 dealt Stenroos five felony counts and one misdemeanor. Currently on paid administrative leave from the district, the court set his bail at $50,000 and he faces up to 5 years and 8 months in prison.
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