A Huntington Beach police officer is facing charges after allegedly posting a co-worker’s photo and personal phone number on a dating website.
The victim became aware of the personal ad on doublelist.com after receiving texts from unknown numbers, the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) office said in a statement.
The posts were created last September after the victim began dating the culprit’s girlfriend, the OCDA said.
“Impersonating another individual on the Internet is not a joke,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “It is a crime that could result in serious harm.
“This is not boys will be boys or cops will be cops behavior. It is curious and beyond disturbing that a sworn police officer would engage in such reckless behavior to endanger the safety of a fellow officer.”
The Huntington Beach Police Department launched an investigation after the victim reported the harassment to a supervisor.
Steven Tennant, 32, of Yorba Linda, has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of internet impersonation for the purpose of harming, intimidating, threatening, and defrauding.
If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of two years in Orange County jail.
