Update: Man arrested for trespassing on Stockton police property
UPDATE: Neufield was not charged by the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office with impersonating an police officer. He was charged with unauthorized use of a computer and trespassing. He ultimately pleaded to no contest to trespassing as part of an agreement.
Neufield told The Bee his wife worked at the agency and he regularly used her access card to bring her food. He said other Sheriff’s Office personnel were aware of this and didn’t take issue with it until he made the TikTok videos. He said he never claimed to be a captain but joked that he was pulling into his parking spot as he parked in a stall that was labeled as reserved for captains.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A Stockton man was arrested Wednesday night for allegedly entering a secure area within the San Joaquin County’s Sheriff’s Office facility and recording TikTok videos.
According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office, 55-year-old Merle Neufield entered the facility using a department-issued access card that belonged to his spouse, who is an employee of the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy Sandra Mendez, a spokesperson for the Office, said Neufield posted the videos on TikTok in which he identified himself as a police captain and walked around the department giving tours.
Neufield’s demeanor in the videos was very much, “this is my department and this is what I do when I come into work, this is where I like to spend time — acting as if he owned the department,” Mendez said.
Neufield allegedly recorded the videos late at night when no one was around. Mendez did not know how many videos were posted nor during what time frame but said the Sheriff’s Office became aware of them Tuesday.
Neufield was arrested Wednesday night after he entered the Sheriff’s Office private parking lot. He was arrested on suspicion of impersonating a peace officer and trespassing with the intent to commit a crime but only charged with trespassing and unauthorized use of a computer.
Neufield’s spouse was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. Mendez did not disclose her position with the department but said she is not a deputy.
“We at the Sheriff’s Office take the security of our facilities very seriously and are reviewing our security policies and procedures to prevent breaches like this from occurring in the future,” according to the press release.
This story was originally published May 19, 2022 at 12:25 PM.
