A San Bernardino County deputy sheriff accused of handcuffing and holding at gunpoint a tow-truck driver on the side of the 10 Freeway in Riverside County is scheduled to be arraigned on four felony charges Wednesday morning in Indio.
According to prosecutors, Richard Heverly, 41, of La Verne, was off duty and driving about 50 miles east of Indio on Aug. 18 when he came across a traffic accident.
A car had caught fire as a result of the crash, and a tow truck driver had slowed and blocked off lanes, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
When Heverly arrived at the accident site, he flashed his badge, then handcuffed the tow-truck driver and held him at gunpoint, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
Heverly is charged with four felonies: Assault with a semi-automatic firearm, assault by public officer, criminal threats of death or great bodily injury, and false imprisonment. All four charges carry sentencing enhancements for use of a firearm.
He was placed on administrative leave by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department the day of his arrest.
Heverly was hired by the department in 2006 and worked in the transportation division at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.
Click the link below for a past news article on Heverly's arrest.
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Deputy charged with felonies on paid leave
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA) - Thursday, August 21, 2008
Author: Will Bigham, Staff Writer
A San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy who was charged with four felonies in Riverside County this week has been placed on administrative leave, a department spokeswoman said.
Richard Charles Heverly , 41, is accused of handcuffing and holding at gunpoint a tow truck driver who pulled to the side of the 10 Freeway east of Indio after a big rig caught fire.
Heverly , of La Verne, was assigned to the transportation division at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. He was hired by the department in 2006, said spokeswoman Cindy Beavers.
Heverly was placed on paid administrative leave Monday, the same day he was arrested by Riverside County officials.
"There is an administrative investigation that is under way, and we're prohibited from speaking about that either now or when the investigation is complete," Beavers said.
When reached by phone at his La Verne home Thursday, Heverly declined to comment.
Heverly was off duty Aug. 10 when the incident on the westbound 10 Freeway occurred.
The tow truck driver noticed a big rig on fire on the shoulder of the freeway near Eagle Mountain Road, about 50 miles east of Indio.
The driver maneuvered his tow truck into a position to block off some of the affected lanes of the freeway and waited for emergency personnel to arrive, according to a news release from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
Heverly arrived at the scene and showed a law enforcement badge to the tow truck driver.
Witnesses told authorities that Heverly escalated the confrontation, eventually handcuffing the tow truck driver and holding him at gunpoint, the news release stated.
A spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney's Office declined to go into detail when asked about the incident.
Heverly was arrested Monday and charged with four felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, assault under the color of authority, making a criminal threat and false imprisonment, the news release stated.
He posted $150,000 bail and was released from custody.
Heverly is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 29 in Indio Superior Court.
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