Retired El Dorado County sheriff’s sergeant arrested
By Kathryn Reed
A retired El Dorado County sheriff’s sergeant who worked in the South Lake Tahoe substation is behind bars.
Donald Philip Atkinson, 50, was arrested March 8 on 44 felony charges. He is accused of embezzling more than $300,000 from the El Dorado County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, of which he was president. Grand theft, perjury and forgery are among the other charges.
The 11-page complaint filed by the state Attorney General’s Office in El Dorado County Superior Court says the crimes occurred between Jan. 1, 2005, and June 30, 2011. The alleged thefts started when he lived in the Carson Valley and continued to when he moved to El Dorado Hills, where he was most recently living.
Donald Atkinson
Atkinson is the detective who in 2006 handled teacher Karsten Gronwald’s child pornography case. In 2007, he was widely quoted admonishing then Sheriff Jeff Neves for shuffling assignments that put search and rescue responsibilities in the hands of Placerville deputies. He was vocal with the Board of Supervisors when it came to budget cuts.
El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Daniel B. Proud set Atkinson’s bail at $1 million.
This is the same judge who in March 2007 ruled against the deputy sheriff’s association and in favor of Neves in regards to the labor suit.
When a scam in June 2007 was gaining traction soliciting money for the deputy sheriff’s association it was Atkinson who warned people not to donate the money.
A joint press release from Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson says, “An investigation by the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office with assistance from the Attorney General’s Office showed that Atkinson falsified official documents, including Fair Political Practice Commission forms, submitted forged documents to DSA and claimed checks were written for charitable purposes but pocketed the money. The investigation was conducted after a request from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.”
Atkinson allegedly used the money to open accounts in his name.
He is accused of taking $100,000 from a 72-year-old woman and $20,000 designated for the families of Sgts. Mark Dunakin, Ervin Romans, and Daniel Sakai and Officer John Hege, the four Oakland police officers killed by a parolee in March 2009.
Not that this guy didn’t have a great salary, best benefits and most incredible retirement known to man, while harassing and throwing you tickets on your tax dollar.., he had to steal your money. This leaves a bad perception… Looks like an evil son of a gun too….
Yes, Sgt. Atkinson was a bad apple, and he gave all Law Enforcement (especially the EDSO) a black eye. But before we paint the whole El Dorado Sheriff’s Dept. with the same broad brush, let’s remember that 99% of the sworn officers and staff due their duty faithfully and uphold the oath they took daily. And they feel worse about this than we do. No one is perfect, including “Johnny Law”, but when you feel tempted to despise them, try to imagine life without them. It’s not somewhere you want to go.
How do seemingly responsible people not notice $300,000 missing?
They are doing a good job as far as I know , there on it ,and thats what its about .
Well said Honkylonk. One bad apple does not spoil the whole bunch. We need to continue to support our law enforcement community.
That this arrest and case were made shows that the system continues to work.
Money makes “All People” Strange.
Well said Honkylonk. I know Don. This is a great disappointment and tarnishes all law enforcement in general. This is a terrible blow to the law enforcement community and especially to the Eldorado County Sheriff’s Department. If the reported charges are proven as the truth, he needs to have a severe jail sentence. He was in a position of great public trust and abused that trust. Law enforcement has no need for such individuals. Stealing is bad in and of itself. Stealing money from an elderly woman and from widows and orphans of slain officers, well, that just absolutely sickens me to no end.
Not surprised.
Another example of government waste and imcompetence, how is it possilbe for so much money to go missing?
CAUSE THEY WERE ALL SHARING THE DONUTS!
Sad on so many levels, professionally, personally. How about his “wife and children”. Monday morning quarterbacks have all the answers (Sands.., Hangups…, Rob, Steve). The only difference between humans and other “animals” is that we “humans” make conscious decisions. We humans must take responsibility for our conscious decisions. Period.
Everyone needs to look in the mirror before casting stones.
Retired Cop.
Apparently you missed the 21 page Arrest Warrant. I noted a second blue hilite and hit it. The Atkinson plan appears to be that of a man tempting exposure and having a ball. Yes i realize all the years he played the game and got away with it. The warrant suggest exactly that. When the members of his board review the warrant they no doubt will think OMG how did i,we miss this and that. Some, maybe all knew he was a lover boy and accepted that fact. What else did they accept as fact? a new car now and then, maybe a boat, unusual travel. Did he visit and respond in writing to women listed in SacBee Meeting Room. Possibly using a letter head ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT.Do not scoff! Tom Smith did that. His letter head read Judge Thomas A Smith along with pertinent and superfluous information such as “i have freckles” and a lot of Mr.Wonderful that’s me. Smith was Hal Barkers GJ Judge. Was Sargent Don one of Barkers boys?
Atkinsons machinations are something to behold. Whoda thunk it?
For over 35 years I was in the business of Fidelity and Surety Bonding. My last years were with large International Insurance Agency.
In a meeting with my chairman and president i was asked “what have you heard about (nameless) our #3 man. I chuckled and said probably the same as you. After an hour of comparing our mental notes, i was advised to investigate fact from fiction. Long story short. A majority of our employees were aware that something was going on.
Oh no not Mr.#3. He is on vacation again. No he is not on vacation he is out of the office. He will call you back.
He,s in France, NYC, New England. What ??
Our investigation resulted in recovering $550,000, and the salvage of what was left of his business. The Bond company and our chairman agreed not to file charges. The $550,000 was in 1980s dollars. A well respected man tempting exposure.
Whoda thunk it.
Don will be well remembered at Tahoe as the fair-haired one who was given positions without earning them and promotion without the experience and power without the conscious to make good choices. He was seldom required to do actual work which was a pattern of corruption well known at EDSO. Once you were given thw ink and nod promotions and positions, there was little else that needed to be done. Don was the product of the corrupt Good ol’ Boy machine that created these type of employees who were given a special detail assignment and never had to work actual shifts very often. He was promoted by the likes of the Barker, Neves, and Kollar gang, all Gob’s, who ran the machine, he did run afoul of them though and the rest is history. His proclivities were well known to most at the lake, the stealing of money wasn’t.
Justice
Me thinks you are one of several good guys i remember from the old days.
We will eventuly find out if any of his Gob’s did tempt exposure.
Defense attorneys can have a way about them, when an Arrst Warrent is 21 pages.
We know Chief Barker and his women did tempt exposure.The women threatened two of his officers by leaking contents of their jackets. (reported in the SacBee)
It had allegde that she ended up as a Deputy Sheriff under Barker.
P.S Hal declared that the two officers still on the job. No mention of the suit.
There will be more charges soon! I’m sure. : )