Deputy charged with conducting illegal background checks

An Orange County sheriff’s deputy was charged Monday with conducting illegal background checks on two people, authorities said.

The Orange County district attorney’s office said that Angel Guerrero, 57, allegedly accessed a criminal history database and viewed confidential records.

Guerrero, who has worked for the Sheriff’s Department for about 16 years, accessed the law enforcement databases between Oct. 31, 2014, and Nov. 1, 2015, prosecutors alleged.

He was formally charged with two misdemeanor counts of receiving unauthorized privileged information. If convicted, he faces up to one year in jail.

Lt. Mark Stichter, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department, said that Guerrero is still employed by the department and that the investigation into the alleged misconduct is ongoing. It’s unclear whether Guerrero is represented by an attorney.

His arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 6.

For more news in California, follow @MattHjourno.

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