Officer Accused of Shoplifting Vitamins

The Ventura County district attorney’s office filed petty-theft charges Monday against a veteran police officer accused of shoplifting $25 worth of vitamins at a local pet store.

David Matz, 58, a Ventura Police Department employee for 15 years, was placed on paid leave from his patrol duty pending an investigation.

On Aug. 27, Matz walked into a Petco store in the 4000 block of East Main Street in uniform and allegedly took a $25 jar of dog vitamins from a shelf. He stuffed the bottle into his uniform jacket and left the store without paying, Lt. Gary McCaskill said.

A store employee followed Matz and wrote down his police car’s license plate number. Matz later returned to the store and urged the employee not to report the theft, McCaskill said.

Petco officials reported the incident to police, who searched Matz’s home Sept. 3 and discovered a sealed container of dog vitamins. Matz was arrested and released after promising to appear for arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court on Oct. 12.

Matz was also charged with dissuading a witness, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of one year in County Jail. A petty-theft conviction carries a maximum penalty of six months in County Jail and a $1,000 fine.

Throughout his tenure, Matz has been assigned to the Ventura downtown storefront and the department’s Drug Awareness Resistance Education program.