Former Fresno police officer Rey Medeles has been charged with two counts each of grand theft and preparing false evidence. Officials say he stole more than $60,000 in cash from the department’s evidence room. Even as he faces criminal charges, the city is defending him in three separate civil rights lawsuits filed by local business owners, who say he stole from them and illegally arrested them when they complained. Under the California Peace Officer Bill of Rights, the city must defend officers from such suits if it determines an officer’s actions are part of the scope of their work.
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